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Georges Feydeau was born in Paris on December 8, 1862, the son of novelist Ernest-Aimé Feydeau and a Polish woman. He found his first success at the age of twenty-four with TAILLEUR POUR DAMES (LADIES' DRESSMAKER, 1889). That same year Feydeau married Marianne Carolus-Duran, the daughter of the famous portrait painter Carolus-Duran. To Feydeau, the marriage brought wealth that would sustain him until he found greater success. The marriage lasted fifteen years, after which the couple underwent a judicial separation and were formally divorced in 1916. Feydeau began a study of great farces in 1890, studying the works of Eugène Labiche, Henri Meilhac, and Alfred Hennequin. This study brought him success with his play CHAMPIGNOL MALGRÉ LUI (CHAMPIGNOL IN SPITE OF HIMSELF, 1892). Following this, Feydeau made a name for himself both in France and abroad. Among his sixty plays are his famous UNE PUCE À L'ORIELLE (A FLEA IN HER EAR, 1907), LA DAME DE CHEZ MAXIM (THE GIRL FROM MAXIM'S, 1899), and HORTENSE A DIT: "J'M'EN FOUS!" (HORTENSE SAYS, "I DON'T GIVE A DAMN!," 1916). Other notable Feydeau farces are L'HÔTEL DU LIBRE ÉCHANGE (translated as HOTEL PARADISO, 1894) and LE DINDON (SAUCE FOR THE GOOSE, 1896). During the winter of 1918 Feydeau contracted syphilis and slowly descended into madness in the remaining years of his life. He passed away on June 5, 1921.
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Frank Galati has directed THE VISIT, THE SEUSSICA,L and the acclaimed production of the opera based on A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE for the Chicago Lyric Opera. He was the director of RAGTIME both on Broadway and on tour. Mr. Galati won the 1990 Tony Awards for Best Play and Best Director for his dramatization of John Steinbeck's THE GRAPES OF WRATH, which premiered at the Steppenwolf Theater in Chicago and subsequently played at the La Jolla Playhouse, the Royal National Theater in London, and on Broadway. Mr. Galati is Associate Director of the Goodman Theater in Chicago, where he has directed SHE ALWAYS SAID, PABLO; A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM; PASSION PLAY; THE GOVERNMENT INSPECTOR; THE WINTER'S TALE; THE GOOD PERSON OF SETZUAN; CRY THE BELOVED COUNTRY; Gertrude Stein's EACH ONE AS SHE MAY, and THE STORY OF MELANCTHA. He is also a member of the Steppenwolf Theatre Company, where he has directed MORNING STAR; BORN YESTERDAY; AUNT DAN AND LEMON; YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU; EVERYMAN; and his own dramatizations of Anne Tyler's "Earthly Possessions" and William Faulkner's "As I Lay Dying." Other directing credits include JUMPERS for the Northlight Theater; THE HOUSE OF BERNARDA ALBA for the Court Theater; THE DICK GIBSON SHOW and THE MAGNOLIA CLUB for Novel Ventures; and STRIDER at Woodstock Music Theater. For the Chicago Opera Theater he has directed THE MOTHER OF US ALL; SUMMER AND SMOKE; THE GOOD SOLDIER SCHWEIK; and FOUR SAINTS IN THREE ACTS. Mr. Galati dramatized the Bulgakov novel "Heart of a Dog" for Northlight and directed his own musical adaptation of John Kennedy O'Toole's "A Confederacy of Dunces" at Louisiana State University. His adaptation of Mike Royko's "Boss" won a Jefferson Award in 1973 and the following year he wrote and directed WINNEBAGO, the first play of the Goodman's Stage II series. For the Chicago Lyric Opera he directed the world premiere of THE VOYAGE OF EDGAR ALLAN POE. He also directed PELLEAS AND MELISANDE; LA TRAVIATA; and TOSCA, in a production that originated at the San Francisco Opera. Mr. Galati directed a revival of THE GLASS MENAGERIE at the Roundabout Theatre starring Julie Harris and Calista Flockhart in the fall of 1994. In addition, Mr. Galati is a professor of performance studies at Northwestern University and a screenwriter. His adaptation of Arthur Miller's AN AMERICAN CLOCK was seen on TNT and he was nominated with Lawrence Kasdan for an Academy Award for his screenplay of Anne Tyler's "The Accidental Tourist."
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