The Miser |
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Molière’s L’Avare (The Miser) was first performed in Paris in September 1668, with the playwright himself in the title role of the penny-pinching Harpagon. At its heart is a dysfunctional family – a miser who cares more for his hidden fortune than for his children’s happiness – a son who has fallen in love with the same girl courted by his father – and a daughter who is secretly seeing an unsuitable man: her father’s servant. It’s about how ordinary people grapple with big issues in the course of a mad and manic day. Using Alan Drury’s acclaimed translation our production subtly updates the play to a twentieth-century setting, whilst maintaining the extreme theatricality of the piece: our stage is almost bare and the costumes stylised – emphasising character over period. One distinctive feature of the script are the number of asides in the play, giving the audience an important role – almost every character speaks to them at some point – so beware! This isn’t just theatre, but a no-holds barred spectator sport with more than a touch of pantomime. Next Best Thing has already produced plays by two of Moliere’s most devoted admirers, the Russian, Nikolai Gogol and the Italian, Carlo Goldoni, so it’s very much a case of exploring our comedic roots.
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The Miser:
About the Play About Molière |
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