Festival showcases Moliere comedies

Alliance Francaise , Bengaluru is hosting a ‘Moliere weekend’ starting today. By collaborating with Bangalore Little Theatre (BLT) and the Rotary Theatre Club, Alliance hopes to entertain Bengalureans with 16th century playwright Moliere’s razor-sharp wit.

Known for his satirical wit and his penchant for taking potshots at the hypocrisies of society, Moliere’s plays hold relevance even today and for years to come. Much like Shakespeare, Moliere’s works too were based on social satire offering a witty criticism of the flaws in society. The play’s director Solomon Paramel promises that the plays are comical to the core. “It also doesn’t matter that the characters are French or that the story is 300-years-old,” he says.

Sgnarelle, sometimes known as The Imaginary Cuckold, a classic Moliere comic tale of young love, mix-ups and confusion will be enacted at the three-day theatre festival. Sganarelle is the first independent production of Rotary Theatre Club, set up in partnership with BLT.

Moliere’s characters share the common thread of being flawed and filled with extremes of being misers, hypocrites, hypochondriacs and misanthropes. These were the actual names of his famous plays. Solomon says that these were “stock” characters and very predictable. He adds that unlike the men who came across as ludicrous and cantankerous, the women were smart, strong and interesting.

The playwright, considered to be one of the greatest masters of comedy in Western literature, used to mirror few instances of his own life into his plays, sometimes landing himself into quite a spot of trouble.

Salam Moliere on the other hand is a tribute to the darling of King Louis IV, the mercurial and mesmeric Moliere. Salaam Moliere is one in a series from BLT’s new programme thrust called Courtyard Theatre that takes the audience through a colourful journey filled with laughter and madness with Moliere’s most famous comedies.

Solomon says that Moliere’s writing has stood the test of time as he saw through human foibles and hypocrisies. “He also dared to write about them, knowing that the public would identify with the characters,” he says.

Schedule

Venue: Alliance Francaise
Date: June 22
Time: 7 pm
Date: June 23
Time: 4 pm, 7.30 pm
Date: June 24
Time: 11 am, 4 pm, 7.30 pm
Entry is free.

Contact Poornima Kannan on 9880791171.