The Misanthrope by Moliere adapted by Martin Crimp

Balham’s award-winning theatre group, Southside, will stage Martin Crimp’s contemporary adaptation of Molière’s 17th century classic ‘The Misanthrope’ from Wednesday 19 – Saturday 22 February 2014

In a witty and fast-paced adaptation, Martin Crimp transposes Molière’s classic from 17th century France to the showbiz whirl of contemporary London – where all that matters is celebrity status.
Alceste is the misanthrope of the title. The author describes him as a man ‘whose uncompromising view of human beings means he is incapable of living with them’. But Alceste meets his match when he falls in love with Jennifer, an American actress – young, beautiful and famous.
According to Crimp, Jennifer’s ‘shameless manipulation of her powerful friends, strategic sexual provocation and delight in malicious chatter makes her… represent everything he most hates’.
The resulting pyrotechnics make for a fascinating duel of wits in the eternal war between the sexes. A ‘stinging, zinging play’ (Daily Telegraph).