Wild fun under the stars

This classic French farce, skewering polite society (with servants) circa 1907, clearly was a model for the modern British farce Noises Off (1982). The “flea” in A Flea in Her Ear is gossip’s equivalent of an ear worm, an idea that just won’t go away without proof. Rampant suspicions of infidelity, compounded by intercepted love letters (some faked) and mistaken identity, lead to hilarious onstage mayhem as frantic characters anxious to evade discovery run back and forth, slamming the set’s multiple doors as they try to hide before they’re spotted by their spouse. This elaborate high-end community production is staged outdoors; bring a picnic, low-slung beach chair and a sweater (the show ends around 10:45 p.m.).

A Flea in Her Ear; 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; $12-$17.50, with a $49 “family pack” (two adults/two kids). Gates open at 6:30 p.m. for picnics. Main Street Theatre Works at the Kennedy Mine Amphitheatre (Amador County, an hour’s drive from Sacramento, next to the Country Squire Motel), 1105 N. Main Street in Jackson; (209) 304-6690; www.mstw.org. Through July 23.