PREVIEW Satirical spirit shines in Moli & egrave;re's 'The Miser'

A YSU student composed a dance suite for the production.
By L. CROW
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
YOUNGSTOWN -- The Youngstown State University theater department is taking a trip back in time to present "The Miser," written by 17th century dramatist Moli & egrave;re.
Moli & egrave;re was influenced by commedia dell'arte and was known for his farces that satirized society, politics and human foibles. Commedia dell'arte was a comedic style of the 16th and 17th centuries that used improvised dialogue and stock characters, frequently wearing masks. "The Miser" pokes fun at human greed.
"Moli & egrave;re was the most brilliant comic genius in the history of theater," said Dr. Dennis Henneman, professor of theater and director of this play. "Harpagon, the major character, has one thing on his mind: money. He also likes beautiful young women -- as long as they have money."
Frosine, the matchmaker, needs some money, so she agrees to arrange a match between Harpagon and Mariane, who is young and pretty, but Harpagon isn't quite sure of her financial status. And Cl & eacute;ante, Harpagon's son, is in love with Mariane. Cl & egrave;ante and his sister & Eacute;lise plot a way to undo what Frosine has done. Meanwhile, Val & egrave;re, who appears to be penniless, is in love with Elise and wrangles his way into Harpagon's household as a servant, to be with his daughter.
Characters
Anthony Scarsella is playing Harpagon and describes his colorful character: "Harpagon is an old man who loves nothing in the world more than money," he said. "He revels in greed. It's a happy, most joyful kind of greed, not just a decision; it's a way of life. He won't spend money on clothes or wigs. His son, Cl & eacute;ante, is the bane of his existence. He spends money the way people of his standing should: He buys tailored clothes. Harpagon reprimands him for being a wasteful little son, buying silly things like wigs. He is interested in Mariane because he is trying to squeeze her mother for a dowry. Mariane is repulsed by him. And Val & egrave;re is a suck-up -- he knows how to say everything Harpagon wants to hear."
"But a lot of things happen in the course of the play," says Henneman. "There are some funny surprises that make everything work out in the end."
Henneman also shared insight into the style of the period: "The commedia dell'arte was based on improvisation," he said. "These actors were street performers, a tradition that went on for a couple hundred years. The cast members have researched and found improvised jokes from the period that will be inserted into the play. Also, typically, Moli & egrave;re would have had composers create music for his plays, but there is no record of music for this one, so a Dana student composed music in the style of the 1600s, a French dance suite, which will be performed on the harpsichord. There will be dancing, mostly by the servants -- such as gavottes, minuets, pavanes -- as introductions or bridges to the acts. But in a couple places, dancing is also inserted into the main part of the play by other characters. And since this is in commedia dell'arte style, which would have been done outdoors, there is no set or props. Servants will mime chairs, walls, doors."
"The Miser" will be done in the round, in the tiny Spotlight Arena, more conducive to this style than the large stage of Ford Theater.
"Moli & egrave;re was unsuccessful as a playwright in Paris," said Henneman. "So he went to the provinces, and that's where he learned the style of commedia dell'arte. He had an opportunity to perform for King Louis XIV and did a typical drama that was not well received. Apologetically, he requested to do a short satire, which the king loved and appointed him court entertainer. He was then able to poke fun at everything, including the king himself, who thought himself a legend in the arts."