May 20, 2005
THEATER BEAT
What a find: Here we have not only two sharp, sassy Moliere
adaptations on one program but a production that shows off their wit and warmth
to full advantage.
Adapter-director Tony Tanner has plucked "Les Femmes
Savantes" and "Le Misanthrope" and lightly reset them in a Noel
Coward frame. His new titles give an idea where he's goingÑ"The Wise-Ass
Women" and "The Man-Hater," respectivelyÑexcept that the results
aren't mere winking frippery. This is Moliere with a drive and a lilt, a feint
and a thrust.
It doesn't hurt that his mostly exquisite cast is up to it. From
the first moment, as "Wise-Ass" sisters Armande (Susan Hanfield) and
Henriette (Elyse Ashton) burst forth to tussle over sex and suitors, we sigh
with relief that we, and Moliere, are in good hands. In both plays the actors
find the right swaggering but fleet-footed style for Tanner's imperfect but
delightful verse.
Space forbids extensive citation of Tanner's well-turned zingers,
seasoned with contemporary details that fit as nicely as Paula Higgins'
matter-of-factly resplendent and character-revealing costumes.
A typical punch line: In "The Man-Hater," loyal Philinte
(Scott Ryden) gently upbraids cranky Alceste (Stuart Howard) over his soft spot
for an incorrigible tease (Victoria Hoffman) with the unanswerable put-down,
"There's a part of you still stuck in the dorm."
My favorite, though, would have to be the flustered retort of a
husband (Robert Harlan Greene) to his dilettante wife (Sara Shearer):
"Parse my arse!"
Staged with surety in the round in an unprepossessing auditorium,
this "Pair by Moliere" merits both the sitting and the parsing.
"A Pair by Moliere: The Wise-Ass Women and The Man-Hater," Fiesta Hall, 1200 N. Vista St., West Hollywood. 7 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 3 p.m. May 29. Ends May 29. $15. (323) 461-5570. Running time: 2 hours, 30 minutes.