North Beach, MD – The Twin Beach Players (TBP), in partnership with Help Association and by special arrangement with Samuel French, Inc., is currently presenting The Miser, by French playwright Moliere (aka Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, 1622 -1673) in this 1982 update by Freyda Thomas, directed by Jeff Larsen.
Show dates run through April 17 with Thursday, Friday and Saturday performances at 8 p.m. and the Sunday matinee at 3 p.m. Performances are held at the Boys and Girls Club located at 9021 Dayton Avenue in North Beach, MD. For ticket information you may contact www.TwinBeachPlayers.com.
The first performance of The Miser occurred on September 9, 1668 (yes, that’s correct: 1668) at the Palais-Royal in Paris and was first produced when Moliere’s company was under the protection of Louis XIV. The story is loosely based on the Latin comedy Aulularia, by Platus. The miser’s name “Harpagon” is taken from the Latin word “harpago,” meaning a hook, or grappling iron (think “harpoon”). The stingy miser here is well-named as he is a widower obsessed with amassing greater wealth; he wishes to marry off his son Cleante and daughter Elise and even himself (at age 60, to the lovely Marianne) with the primary goal of increasing his wealth.
It seems, though, that Cleante and Marianne are already an “item” and daughter Elise loves Valere the valet. Harpagon plans to match Elise to the wealthy Senor Anselme (who is easily twice her age). This confusing plot is only resolved when it is discovered that some of the characters are actually long-lost relatives. The fast-paced play pokes fun at many theatrical conventions including having the characters directly address the audience from time to time.
The plot employs many other traditional stage conventions including the presumptuous idea of servants outwitting their masters (think Mozart’s opera “The Marriage of Figaro” – taken from a play by Beaumarchais – which caused a sensation it its day) and the use of a black-and-white checkerboard floor pattern.
The audience will easily recognize many stereotypes still relevant in today’s comedies: upstart children demanding their shares of the father’s inheritance, a matchmaker who plots her own way into wealth, a French chef frustrated with a limited budget, and a diligent detective of subtle humor who pre-dates Peter Falk’s Colombo.
It has been noted in previous reviews that TBP actors are expertly matched to their unique roles, and that is also true of this production. Veteran TBP Director/Actor Jeff Larsen has succeeded in casting this play with actors who grow more endearing as the plot unfolds and the distinct personalities emerge. The genius of the casting is especially evident with the actors playing dual roles, and with those assuming disguises and/or accents.
The full ensemble skillfully conveys the intricacies of this highly ridiculous, preposterous plot with nuanced performances, excellent vocal projection and unique characterizations. I especially enjoyed the acoustical“ping” of the actors’ voices resonating in the hall.
The play opens as Cleante (Tom Weaver) and Elise (Annie Gorenflo) squabble over tapping into their father’s great wealth so that they are free to marry. One of the actors casually cautions that “even the walls have ears” to which Valere the valet (Aidan Davis) drolly responds, “And not much else”, as indeed, the audience’s attention is called to the sparsely-furnished room decorated with empty frames on the walls.
Helen Mary Ball enters as Madame Frosine, the matchmaker, cleverly promising to make matches for the children and even for Harpagon himself. She promises him a match with Marianne, not realizing that Marianne is already the object of the son’s desire. Harpagon announces that he intends to marry off Elise to Senor Anselme, which leaves Elise and Valere in crisis; Elise reacts strongly when Valere bungles his diplomatic attempt to talk Harpagon out of Elise’s arranged marriage.
Jean-Louise as Le Chef Jacqueline pirouettes in and out of the salon frequently throughout the play, hoping that her penny-pinching master will relent and actually permit her to cook her specialized menu items one day. Ms. Louise has a scene-stealing role with a convincing French accent, which allows her to show off her lovely singing voice (albeit with some tunes not yet written in 1668).
As Harpagon, Luke Woods gives a masterful interpretation in his demanding role as the miserly Miser. Mr. Woods, thankfully, is able to keep his pants during this production; he was seen last fall in TBP’s Noises Off as the clothing-impaired Freddy Fellowes.
As the lovesick Cleante, Tom Weaver gives a sensitive, unassuming interpretation and pairs well with his sidekick valet, James Weeks, as La Fleche. These two conspire to find a marriage broker so that Cleante is free to pursue Marianne…even better, Cleante charges La Fleche with the task of finding his father’s gold.
Naturally, Cleante is horrified when he learns that the brokered marriage with Marianne is for his father, and not for him.
La Fleche reassures Cleante that he has a plan to secure Harpagon’s gold; it is indeed, a solid, fool-proof plan which is kept secret until the very end of Act II. La Fleche is a man of many talents; he is very good at eavesdropping and is adept with his trusty shovel.
In another attempt to increase his wealth Harpagon decides to become a Moneylender himself. He enlists the aid of the curly-wigged Moneylender Mr. Simon (Kevin McAndrews, who appears later on in Act II in a dual role) to teach him the tricks of the trade.
At last, Madame Frosine presents Marianne (Jenny Liese) to Harpagon; Marianne is understandably appalled to find out she has been pledged to Harpagon when it is Cleante she loves.
The miser’s goose is cooked, so to speak, as it becomes more and more obvious that he desires gold and possessions above the happiness of his children.
As Act I ends, Cleante has pried the gloriously brilliant diamond ring off of his father’s finger and has presented it to Marianne along with the announcement of their engagement.
Could the plot twists possibly become any more convoluted? mais oui!
We are treated to another scene-stealing turn by the Singing Chef who serenades a pig in a blanket (dinner); she is delighted at the prospect of cooking real food for a change and enjoys serving hors d’oeuvres and pouring champagne.
Madame Frosine enters, now disguised as the Marriage Broker (complete with a prosthetic nose and an outrageous wig) with a plan to get the young lovers correctly matched and to marry Harpagon for herself. (The versatile Ms. Ball is an experienced stage/film actor and costumer).
Harpagon is devastated when he discovers his gold has been stolen. He throws quite a temper tantrum as he stomps his feet and rolls on the floor and even implores audience members directly to come to his aid: is there a detective in the house?
And wouldn’t you know it, there IS a detective at hand in the persona of Kevin McAndrews in his second role as Inspector Sansclou. (Note: “sans clou”… “without a clue”??? The character of Sansclou, introduced here in The Miser, evolved over centuries to become the beloved Inspector Clouseau). The interrogation scene that ensues as Sansclou seeks to discover the thief who has absconded with the cash box from the garden by patiently questioning each character in turn, is the highlight scene of Act II. Mr. McAndrews’ French accent and mannerisms are spot-on. (A note: Mr. McAndrews was so adept at creating the character of Sansclou that my husband did not even realize this actor had also portrayed the Moneylender in Act I until we talked about the play much later in the evening).
There remains one more pivotal character to add to this intricate plot – Senor Anselme (Sid Curl, in this important cameo role, sporting custom-made prosthetic Bugs-Bunnyesque teeth!) who holds the key to the story’s resolution.
Aidan Davis delivers a stand-out monologue during the Finale, chronicling his two shipwreck sagas and revealing his heritage (his use of multiple voices is admirable).
Eventually, brother and sister and father are re-united. This, of course, necessitates all three marriage contracts being re-drawn. The stolen cashbox is revealed and returned to Harpagon, and all ends happily for the three couples.
As a surprise “reward” the audience was subsequently showered with “money”; this is certainly a unique feature of this particular play! How often is an audience “paid” to attend a performance?
Upcoming TBP Events include: North Beach Annual Plant the Town (a sponsorship for the Boys and Girls Club of S. MD) on Saturday, April 23, 8 a.m. – 1p.m.; Auditions for the Youth Troupe production of Much Ado About Nothing, April 24-25 from 7 to 9 p.m.; The Chesapeake Beach Memorial Day Celebration, May 28 -29, 1 to 3 p.m.; TBP Kids Playwriting Festival XI Auditions, Sunday June 7, 2 to 5 p.m., Mon.-Tues. June 8-9, 6:30 -8:30 p.m.; TBP Kids Playwriting Performances weekends August 5 – 14; A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, weekends October 14 – 30; and The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, weekends November 25 – December 11.
