SITE GUIDE
SEARCH
REVIEWS
REVIEW ARCHIVES
ADVERTISING AT CURTAINUP
FEATURES
NEWS
Etcetera and
Short Term Listings
LISTINGS
Broadway
Off-Broadway
NYC Restaurants
BOOKS and CDs
OTHER PLACES
Berkshires
London
California
New Jersey
DC
Connecticut
Philadelphia
Elsewhere
QUOTES
TKTS
PLAYWRIGHTS' ALBUMS
LETTERS TO EDITOR
FILM
LINKS
MISCELLANEOUS
Free Updates
Masthead
A CurtainUp Review
The Misanthrope
|
I expect you to be sincere and as an honorable man never to utter a single word that you don't really mean.— Alceste to his friend Philinte.
|
Sean McNall (Alceste) and Janie Brookshire (Célimène)
|
Moliere's The Misanthrope confronts us with a protagonist who steadfastly adheres to a set of self-righteous principles that, while admirable, become a test not a single person can possibly pass. The Pearl Theatre Company also adheres to an admirable set of principles that occasionally, as in this instance, misfire.
If the Pearl's ambitious revival of the French master's most mature and realistic farce has its bright moments, it is too often dulled by less than stellar supporting performers who have yet to embrace all the graces demanded by a play that stands alongside Tartuffe as Moliere's supreme achievement. When performed at its best and by a company at its peak of technique, it becomes a pure and classic example of how comedy elevated to intellectual heights can make you chortle with delight without having to watch characters take pratfalls, slide under beds or jump into closets.
We are most grateful, therefore, for the bristling performance by Sean McNall, as Alceste, who, with our blessing, delectably decimates a society made up of fools and fops. Moliere makes his audience laugh by emphasizing the ridiculous, but seriously intended behavior of Alceste, the ultimate critic. McNall offers us an amusingly self-satisfied image of a man who cannot compromise his own integrity for the sake of peaceful co-existence. This inflexibility makes him not only a general nuisance to society but also a real problem to his friends. Even the best and most well-meaning advice offered by his worldly wise best friend Philinte (amicably portrayed by Shawn Fagan), prompts Alceste to retort with a parting air of nonchalance, "You ought to die of self-disgust."
The Misanthrope has been said to be the least comic of Moliere's comedies. Nevertheless, McNall, a member of the Pearl's resident company, makes it relatively easy for us to see the neurotically comical side of this overly critical human being. Whether cringing with displeasure at all and everything or squinting with moral indignation, McNall delivers Richard Wilbur's sublime translation with a naturalistic prose style that heightens the humor of the poetry.
Janie Brookshire is making her Pearl debut as Celimene, the object of Alceste's grand passion. She is very pretty and floated about with coquettish charm in a red and white satin gown even though burdened with a towering coiffure that looked like the forest primeval. She seemed to become more comfortable with the inherent drollery of her role as the play progressed, finally coming into her own in a bitchy encounter with her older friend and rival Arsinoe (Joey Parsons).
Kern McFadden as the pompous poseur Oronte, Alceste's rival, earns our laughter as he reads his trite poem to the disgust of his critical friend. Robin LeMon spoke Eliante's lines with the gentle sincerity of someone who is still trying to figure out what they mean. Matthew Amendt and Patrick Halley make us wince as the scarily clownish marquises and were apparently encouraged in their posturing charades by their purposely outré costumes designed by Sam Fleming.
Designer Harry Feiner's setting — a row of French doors on a neutral faux marble bi-level playing area — does the job of evoking Celimene's house in Paris. Although director Joseph Hanreddy is no stranger to the classics as the former artistic director of the Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, he seems to have left too many in the supporting cast adrift in the presumed manners of Paris in the 17th century. Too bad that they all too often appear to be looking for a firmer and more secured lifeline back into the otherwise timeless joys and sorrows of The Misanthrope.
|
The Misanthrope By Moliere Translation by Richard Wilbur Directed by Joseph Hanreddy Cast: Seam McNall (Alceste), Shawn Fagan (Philinte), Kern McFadden (Oronte, a guard), Janie Brookshire (Celimene), Dominic Cuskern (Basque, Dubois), Robin LeMon (Eliante), Matthew Amendt (Acaste), Patrick Halley (Clitandre), Joey Parsons (Arsinoe). Scenic Design: Harry Feiner Costume Design: Sam Fleming Lighting Design: Stephen Petrilli Sound Design: M.L. Dogg Running Time: 2 hours including intermission The Pearl Theatre Company at New York City Center Stage II 131 West 55th Street (212) 581 - 1212 Tickets ($55 for Friday and Saturday and Sunday; $45 on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Performances: Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 7:30 PM; Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday at 2:30 PM. Previews began 01/14/11 Opened 01/23/11 Ends 02/20/11 Review by Simon Saltzman based on press performance 01/21/11 |
|
REVIEW FEEDBACK Highlight one of the responses below and click "copy" or"CTRL+C"
Paste the highlighted text into the subject line (CTRL+ V): Feel free to add detailed comments in the body of the email. . .also the names and emails of any friends to whom you'd like us to forward a copy of this review. Visit Curtainup's Blog Annex For a feed to reviews and features as they are posted add http://curtainupnewlinks.blogspot.com to your reader Curtainup at Facebook . . . Curtainup at Twitter Subscribe to our FREE email updates: E-mail: esommer@curtainup.comesommer@curtainup.com put SUBSCRIBE CURTAINUP EMAIL UPDATE in the subject line and your full name and email address in the body of the message. If you can spare a minute, tell us how you came to CurtainUp and from what part of the country. |
Slings & Arrows-the complete set
You don't have to be a Shakespeare aficionado to love all 21 episodes of this hilarious and moving Canadian TV series about a fictional Shakespeare Company
