[NoHo Arts District, CA] – A NoHo Arts theatre review of E.L.A.T.E.’s The Miser, written by Moliere, directed by Vsevolod Yuri Krawczeniuk, at the Lincoln Stegman Theatre through August 24.
I love E.L.A.T.E. They always choose such diverse and interesting plays. Honestly, when was the last time you saw Moliere performed in L.A.??
Written in 1668, this version has been lovingly translated and adapted for the American audience by its director, Vsevolod Yuri Krawczeniuk. His version is set in the 1920s, somewhere in a small town that really could be anywhere. It’s still very much a satirical commentary on capitalism and the monied classes, just as it was 500 years ago. Unfortunately, now just as pertinent as ever.
The play is set entirely in the house of a newly widowed businessman. His two grown children are still living with him, and he is desperate to wed them off to families with standing and money. However, while engaged in this endeavor, he recognises his own loneliness and decides upon a young bride for himself. This man is our Miser. Legendary in his town for penny pinching, lending money at high rates of interest, and living well below his means.
His son is in love with a lovely young lady new to the town and his daughter is in love with the butler. So what he wants for his children is completely rejected by them. Some things never change.
By a strange and dramatic twist of fate, the young lady the son is in love with is the same young lady the father is determined to marry. Once this becomes apparent, all hell breaks loose and chaos ensues. At least for the length of the play, which is a big relief from the rest of the world right now!
The Miser, at least this version of it, is playful and pure escapism. The cast is brilliant in all their roles, and as usual, E.L.A.T.E. bestows upon us performances full of fun and laughter while not taking themselves too seriously.
The Miser is a classic and anything from Moliere is well worth producing in my opinion. Although Moliere wrote The Miser a hundred years before the storming of the Bastille, the country was full of the burgeoning rebellion. The French are notorious for claiming to have invented everything…I say this as an English person. But the Miser’s commentary of the sad state of a world in which money is valued more than anything and success is determined by it, even beyond love, isn’t exactly an admonition. But then this is a farce in many ways, and a more than charming way to spend an evening in the bowls of the Emmanuel Lutheran Church with the wonderful people of E.L.A.T.E. entertaining us.
Everyone is so good. Each actor plays it for laughs even when the plot implies otherwise. Perfect Moliere in fact!
Absurd, mocking and a little unhinged. A reflection of the world around him that rose a fell with the whims of the elite, to whom, nevertheless, he owed his living. Oh, how little has changed!
The Miser is playing for a few more weeks and I urge you to see it. Where else can you get a taste of the French classics without actually having to learn the language! Bravo to E.L.A.T.E. once again!
When:
August 8, 9, 15, 16, 22, and 23 at 8 pm
August 10, 17, 24 at 2 pm
Where:
ELATE
6020 Radford Ave, North Hollywood, CA 91606
Tickets:
https://www.ticketleap.events/tickets/elate/the-miser
****
To see what shows are playing, check out our theatre guide>>