“Lulu,” originally released in two parts, “Earth Spirit” (1895) and “Pandora’s Box” (1902), has historically been shrouded in scandalous sexuality. In fact, when the play premiered in 1904 in Nuremberg, Wedekind and his publisher were met with federal charges for disseminating obscene material. Performances in Germany were banned shortly thereafter.

At first glance, their judgment appears reasonable. Lulu, after all, is a stunning femme fatale, who enjoys men’s constant attentions. Despite her experience, however, she remains childishly naïve, carelessly running through and breaking the men she lures.

Lulu drives her artist husband to suicide when he discovers her infidelity; then, she murders her second husband, only to take up a marriage with his son, Alwa. Soon, she has lost all her money and is hitting the low-life.

“Lulu,” however, is more than a salacious stage show. Indeed, Harvard Radcliffe Dramatic Club (HRDC) Producer Rebecca L. Eshbaugh ’07, explains that Lulu “tackles issues of sexuality head on, but these are things that need to be said.”

Complexly satiric and tragic, Lulu is a portrayal of an uncommonly animalistic female sexuality. And yet this devouring, voyeuristic female role is a lens through which to comment on the harm of social divisions. It’s a conclusion reached through the unusual device of maintaining Lulu’s overt sexuality from the height of her social stature through her decline and fall. Lulu embodies the commonality that bonds humanity: the sexual craving.

Eshbaugh anticipates that some potential student audiences will be uncertain of what to expect, given the play’s dark subject matter. But she trusts the skills of Visiting Director Brendan Hughes, a graduate of the Yale School of Drama, and promises that, although “‘Lulu’ will be a challenge for us and the actors, it is a challenge that will leave us changed.”

—Vinita M. Alexander

Theater Listings

Thursday, Oct. 6—Saturday, Oct. 8. The Last Five Years. A comic and tragic musical exploration of five years of marriage between an aspiring actress and a writer. 2:30 p.m. (Saturday) and 7:30 p.m. Loeb Ex. Free. Tickets available only at the Loeb Drama Center Box Office, 64 Brattle St.

Thursday, Oct. 13—Saturday, Oct. 15. Long Shot: A Playwright’s Festival. Harvard’s own home-grown writing talents debut never-before-seen pieces, including a musical. 2:30 p.m. (Saturday) and 7:30 p.m. Loeb Ex. Free. Tickets available only at the Loeb Drama Center Box Office, 64 Brattle St.

Thursday, Oct. 20—Saturday, Oct. 22. The White Rose. Students living in World War II Germany, witnessing the horror of Hitler’s regime, come together to form “The White Rose” to produce revolutionary pamphlets and engage in acts of disobedience against Nazi Germany. 2:30 p.m. (Saturday) and 7:30 p.m. Loeb Ex. Free. Tickets available only at the Loeb Drama Center Box Office, 64 Brattle St.

Thursday, Nov. 3—Saturday, Nov. 5. The Colored Museum. George C. Wolfe’s innovative and dramatic satire about the black experience in America comes to the Harvard stage. Agassiz Theatre. Tickets available at the Harvard Box Office.

Thursday, Nov. 3—Saturday, Nov. 12. Hello Dali. A down-on-his-luck curator and a successful patron of the arts battle to claim a long-lost and historic Dali painting. Currier House. Tickets available at the Harvard Box Office.

Thursday, Nov. 10—Saturday, Nov. 19. The Seagull. Four young childhood friends—full of passions and unrequited love—fantasize about their futures, only to be reunited two years later to face their unfulfilled dreams. 2:30 p.m. (Saturday) and 7:30 p.m. Loeb Ex. Free. Tickets available only at the Loeb Drama Center Box Office, 64 Brattle St.

Thursday, Dec. 1—Saturday, Dec. 10. Ruddisore. A country gentleman, discovered to be the cursed Baronet of Ruddigore, is doomed to do one evil deed every day, or accept his fate to perish. Agassiz Theatre. Tickets available at the Harvard Box Office.