Philinte: Oh, listen to me, now, and don’t be rude.
Alceste: I choose to be rude, Sir, and to be hard of hearing.
— From “The Misanthrope” by Molière
Alceste is a truth-teller, allergic to flattery, fakery and sycophants.
In “The Misanthrope,” the great French playwright Molière dissects life at court in all its ambitious fawning and competitive duplicity. But how much honesty is too much? Where’s the line between truth-telling and cruelty? Between diplomacy and deception?
“Alceste’s defining trait is an absolute inability to pander or soft-pedal his opinions,” said Pannill Camp, assistant professor in the Performing Arts Department in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, who will direct the show Nov. 13-22.
“The philosophical question of the play is whether such a rigid ethical code can survive in a complicated social world,” Camp said. “Do we admire Alceste for his true and unflinching nature, or do we find his inflexibility ridiculous?”
Slicing and dicing
Though Molière was born to a prosperous family, as a young man he rejected a law career and spent years as an actor touring the provinces. When fame arrived, it arrived suddenly, thanks in part to royal patronage.
“This is a role Molière wrote for himself,” Camp said. “He’d been thrust into the upper echelons of Parisian society. It’s not hard to imagine that Alceste dispenses something of Molière’s own commentary and critique.”
Yet at the heart of “The Misanthrope” lies a contradiction. Rigid, unyielding Alceste loves Célimène, a popular young socialite who seems to embody the very characteristics her suitor most despises.
“Célimène can be witty and tactful but, like almost everyone in their social world, she also can be insincere and hypocritical,” Camp said. “She is expert at slicing and dicing acquaintances who are not present for the amusement of those who are.”
Of course, in practice, the difference between Célimène’s refined hypocrisy and Alceste’s brutal righteousness can be hard to distinguish. Early in the play, the nobleman Oronte declares his ornate admiration for Alceste, then begs the latter to critique a poem that he, Oronte, has composed.
“In that situation, anyone with any social intelligence would find one or two nice things to say and let the rest go unsaid,” Camp said. “But Alceste can’t resist. He rips it apart — and ultimately complicates his own legal standing.
“I think Molière means us to sympathize with Alceste,” Camp said. “The things he criticizes — demanding praise, cutting people down, the false performance of friendship — no one believes these to be virtuous. Yet most of us have a measure of elasticity and adaptability.
“We understand why Alceste sees the world as he does,” Camp said. “But it’s hard to understand why he just won’t temper it enough to survive.”
* For more, read Camp’s “Notes on The Misanthrope.”
Cast and crew
The cast of 10 is led by Arts & Sciences senior Charley Cotton as Alceste, with Anna McConnell, a sophomore in Arts & Sciences, as Célimène and Gabe Hoffman, a junior in Arts & Sciences, as Philinte, Alceste’s friend.
Other cast members are Scott Greenberg as the nobleman Oronte. Jackie Fancher is Éliante, Célimène’s cousin. Meghan McLeroy is Arsinoé, Célimène’s friend.
Hal Matthews and Danny Washelesky are Acaste and Clitandre, rival suitors for Célimène’s hand. Rounding out the cast are Rose Shapiro as the servant Basque and Josh Parrack, who pulls double duty as the Guard and as the servant Dubois.
Set design is by Lindsay Eisold. Costumes are by Chloe Karmin. Sound is by Victoria Yin, who also serves as assistant director. Lighting is by Alexander Booth, with assistance from Ben Harvey.
Stage manager is Ji Hyun Ahn, with assistance from MK Mollman. Props master is Sarah Azizo.
Tickets
“The Misanthrope” begins at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Nov. 13 and 14; and at 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 15. Performances continue the following weekend at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Nov. 20 and 21; and at 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 22.
Performances take place in the A.E. Hotchner Studio Theatre, located in Mallinckrodt Center, 6465 Forsyth Blvd. Tickets are $15, or $10 for students, seniors and Washington University faculty and staff, and are available through the Edison Theatre Box Office.
For more information, call 314-935-6543.