Relax, Moliere doesn’t need help – not this help anyhow
Is it possible for Don Juan to be dull? Unfunny? Unsexy?
The answer is yes. Oh shucks. Jess Burkle’s tedious adaptation relies on the audience identifying with contemporary lingo and clichés, rather than on new wit.
David Ives does it again — almost. His earlier adaptation of Moliere’s le Misanthrope (1666), renamed The School for Lies (reviewed here in 2011) was an orgy of unending laughter. This adaptation of Regnard’s le Légataire Universel (1708) which he renames The Heir Apparent isn’t as successful although Ives follows his same rules of mod transformation, because Regnard’s play falls short of the brilliance of le Misanthrope.
… triple play …
What a romp! What sheer fun! Moliere would have loved The School For Lies.
And what a record, three for three, for Classic Stage and David Ives:
Click to read about The School for Lies, from Moliere’s The Misanthrope currently playing at Classic Stage –and it’s great!
… opposites attract …
There’s a magic to Moliere’s The Misanthrope and here’s what it is. It’s a play in which just about nothing happens … and yet you leave it with a big smile and the sense that you’ve seen something delightful. What is it? The
language! It’s witty and charming: it makes you feel like you’ve been at a party with vivacious, intelligent guests.
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