Author! Author!. . .

MOLIERE! MOLIERE!

Two Plays by Moliere

Directed by Susan Scudder

Spotlight On Production - Festival 2002

Equity Showcase (closed)

by Louis Lopardi . . . March 15, 2002

Though, like Racine, he was one of the ‘friends of the court', Moliere's stagecraft had more in common with the popular florid harpsichord music of his day - and more with Couperin than it did with the more stately and regally sanctioned Lully. Moliere's characters are not repetitive melody but lines of thought - little motives and figures, all intertwining and bouncing off each other. But as with the music, all this rebounding has ultimately little effect on the themes (characters) themselves; this is, after all, the Enlightenment - an age of Reason and above all, Safety.

Susan Scudder directed her wonderfully trained ensemble with panache in a a presentation of two such safe comedies - Sganarelle (The Imaginary Cuckold) and The Forced Marriage. Comic sequences were well timed and sight gags were well planned. To be picky: The cast could have made more distinction between asides and other modes of indirect speech. And diction could have been a lot tighter for most characters, being hindered, especially in part-1, by the very broad American accents sometimes lacking in class distinctions. Vivacity, and attention to pose and movement offset these to a degree.

The second play - Forced Marriage - had the benefit of a superb traffic cop to help focus all the thematic collisions. Michael Hayward-Jones played Jean-Baptiste with the flair and timing of a royal court's Dancing-Master. His presence seemed to push the entire company to a new level. Always good - (they watch each other and actually listen to each other) - the company now excelled.

The powerful Nikola Smith was a convincing spitfire of a Martine, and Bonny Hughes a broadly drawn and humorous Lisette. Both returned in ‘Marriage' as a hysterical pair of gypsies - with Ms. Smith artfully playing a deliciously annoying gypsy violin - one of many well-directed comic sequences.

Ken Scudder established a wonderfully lumpen comic Sganarelle and a tight, carefully crafted Professor Marphurius. Carrie Keranen whined artfully as Célie, and Richard Springle quickly established her father's character. He was better as a rather demented Alcantor in ‘Marriage'. Adam Rothenberg used a well-modulated voice to animate his Lycaste. Marc Diraison exhibited a broad range and excellent comic timing. Jay Colligan gave us a convincingly oafish Gros-René, then returned in ‘Marriage' to thoroughly enjoy the role of the philosopher Pancras (doubtless a relative of Dr. Pangloss in spirit if not philosophy).

Costumes by the unfortunately named Gilded Garb Age were stunning in themselves, but really made effective by Bonny Hughes' excellent wig workups. A set of strategic potted topiaries was just enough; and one of them actually defeats Sganarelle in a hilarious swordplay bit ("...doesn't that confuse you!"). All was suitably lit by Jim Stewart, using a repertory plot which contained some pale green gels which gave all who ventured into their light a vampirish pallor. Period harpsichord music kept the evening sparkling; a good choice but not really a design, it could have been more tightly integrated within the actual scenes.

Writing  *  *
Directing  *  *
Acting  *  *
Costume design  *  *
Set design  *
Lighting design  *
Sound design  *

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