THE PREMISE: This lascivious 17th century opera examines the affair between Giasone (Jason) and Medea--it's a question of the minx or the fleece.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR: Expect the raunchy and entertaining-this opera will open with Jason singing about his inability to stand after a rough night of sex with Medea. You can look forward to authentic costumes and staging (Pierce is an expert on Baroque dance) hardly seen since in the last four centuries/

THE BUZZ: On all accounts, mythic and theatrical, something like this would register as unusual and spectacular.

Starring: Eliza Moore, Verdis Robinson & Matthew Burt

Reckless

November 10-21

Loeb Ex

Written by Craig Lucas

Directed by Christian Roulleau

Produced by Chris Wisniewski

The Premise: On Christmas Eve, a woman's husband takes a contract out on her life, forcing her to run away and start a new life. Through a series of ordeals, she discovers her own fears, dreams and identity.

What to Look For: Director Christian Roulleau is a notorious scene-stealer--as an actor, that is. After stellar performances in last year's City of Angels and the Hasty Pudding musical (he stole the show playing a man, no less!), he finds himself in the director's chair, helming a play driven by its actor interpretation. Reckless, Roulleau claims, stands out among the fall clutter because "the actors we have chosen all possess a keen sense of the fine line between the comic and the tragic-- a central element of this play." One of these talented actors is Julie Rattey; capable of finding any emotion on the gamut, she injected new life into an old part as Susie in last year's Wait Until Dark. She landed the almost impossibly difficult lead role of Rachel, but Roulleau is confident she'll pull it off. Julie, he says makes Rachel "nervous, self-deprecating and fragile, yet exceedingly tender and capable of terrific humor." But there are some potential obstacles. Roulleau notes that "budget is always a concern for the smaller shows in the season; but our team of designers is scrappy and resourceful and some very interesting things are happening on that end." Plus, the second weekend of the show coincides with the Harvard-Yale game.

The Buzz: Jesus Christ Superstar? Bah. Everyone's talking about Reckless. Expect the first weekend to be a reckless race to get tickets since Harvard will relocate to Yale for the second weekend. With a talented cast and a quirky storyline, Roulleau might have a huge crowd-pleaser on his hands. Plus, he urges us to look out for "an enormous bed hanging from the ceiling and a peloothered Santa." We're there.