After playing the lead in Tolstoy´s Sonata Kreutzer about a loveless marriage, that ran in Sao Paulo and Rio during 1996, director Eduardo Wotzik turns his hands to a classic Moliere comedy adapted by Domingos de Oliveira. The School For Wives opens November 14 at The Planetario Theatre in Rio de Janeiro. It closes December 30, 1997.

Written in 1662, The School For Wives marked a break with the farce tradition. Considered the first great serio-comic work of French Literature, it constitutes a bold satire on contemporary materialistic values and as such was denounced for its impiety and vulgarity.

The play concerns Arnolfo, an egocentric, self-deprecating man, who tries to escape from marriages and betrayals throughout his youth. He finally decides the solution to the problem of finding a perfect and faithful wife is to train a young girl, Ines. He sends her to a convent to be "finished."

Eduardo Wotzik disagrees with the idea of sticking to the same authors and methods: "I am proud that my new plays are completely different from the previous ones. After all, what we should see in a play is the script, not the characteristic marks of the director."

At the top of the cast are Clemente Vacaino as the insecure Arnolfo and Luciana Froes as the beautiful Ines. Music by Miguel Bezerra and Natan Soares. Set and Scenery Design by Ronald Teixeira. Domingos de Oliveira also is responsible for the Translation. "The School For Wives" has been produced by Rio Arte and The City Hall of Rio de Janeiro.

Tickets prices and performances times will be announced soon.

Information call 021 239 5948 at The Planetario Theatre - Rio de Janeiro.

-- By Nertutila Achao
Brazil Correspondent