REVIEW 'Miser' offers a wealth of comical twists, turns

The small venue helped create intimate interaction.
By L. CROW
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
YOUNGSTOWN -- A large crowd overflowed the tiny Spotlight Arena Theater at Bliss Hall for Youngstown State University's production of "The Miser" by 17th-century French dramatist Moli & egrave;re.
This comic farce pokes fun at two human conditions -- love, and love of money -- and YSU's performance was just delightful.
The play centers around Harpagon, the miser who loves nothing more than his money. He wants to marry the young and beautiful Mariane, but there is still the question of money. Mariane is the same woman with whom his son Cl & eacute;ante is in love. Cl & egrave;ante's sister, Elise, is in love with Val & egrave;re, who has disguised himself as a servant to be near her.
The action of the play revolves around everyone conniving to get what they want.
Anthony Scarsella absolutely glowed in his role as the greedy, stubborn, dominating Harpagon. He goes over the top to portray this pathetic character who beats up his servant for telling the truth and is so paranoid about losing his money that he even accuses the audience of stealing from him, much to the laughter of the crowd. He is an arrogant little worm who is easily flattered by anyone who agrees with everything he says.
Val & egrave;re (Gary Shackleford) is the master suck-up who appears to dote on Harpagon's every word, all the while weaseling his way toward Elise's hand in marriage. Elise (Angela Medaugh) fell in love with Val & egrave;re when he rescued her from drowning. Harpagon, however, has other plans for her -- a certain man who does not require a dowry.
Frosine (Heidi Davis) is in a bit of legal trouble, so she thinks she can squeeze some financial assistance from Harpagon by arranging his marriage to Mariane (Noelle Nackino), convincing him that she only prefers older men, as Harpagon struts across the room, actually believing Mariane would find him attractive. Meanwhile, Cl & egrave;ante (Richard Bell) has secretly made arrangements to have his servant find him a money lender so he can ask for Mariane's hand in marriage.
Twists and turns
The play takes some comical twists and turns, but the confusion is all sorted out in the end. The plot is fun and silly, and many other aspects of the performance also add to its enjoyment.
Moli & egrave;re was experienced in the style of commedia dell'arte, an improvised style of performing typical of traveling troupes who performed in outdoor settings. For that reason, no set and few props were used. The actors became the set. For instance, their outstretched arms were the doors that opened and closed to the sound of a slide whistle, adding even more to the humor. The tiny theater helped create the intimate interaction between actors and audience.
Another entertaining aspect was the music. Because Moli & egrave;re typically would have had music to accompany his plays, and there was no record of music for this one, Dana composition major Jason Clark composed "The Miser Suite" in the style of Jean-Baptiste Lully, court musician to Louis XIV. Performed on the harpsichord by David Stiver, it provided background music for the play and often was integral to the acting.
What happens when four men meet unexpectedly in an awkward situation? They break out in dance, of course, creating a hilarious diversion. Act 2 begins as Cl & egrave;ante, Mariane, Elise and Frosine "sneak" to the music.
The costumes and makeup were also superb: satin, ribbons and long ringlet wigs -- for the men as well as women. This play is visually, aurally and comically very enjoyable, and is well worth seeing.
X"The Miser" runs weekends through Nov. 20 -- Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. Call (330) 941-3105 for ticket information.