Le Misanthrope

What price sincerity at any price? Is it possible to be completely and utterly sincere with everyone, in every circumstance? Is it even desirable? And does sincerity really guarantee the truth? The questions posed by Molière in The Misanthrope are particularly relevant today, at a time when, in the name of higher ideals, intransigence reigns supreme, as does the obligation to state the right opinion loud and clear. But what is the relationship between Alceste's excessive emotions and his demands for virtue? And if Molière were alive today, would he weave a link between the importance attached to individual sensibilities and the proliferation of raging, polarised opinions?

Alceste is permanently indignant; for him, all people are hypocrites out of self-interest or fear of displeasing, turning society into a vast swamp of compromise. He barely tolerates his friend Philinte, who tries endlessly and unsuccessfully to prevent him from getting into trouble. Alceste is madly in love with a brilliant young widow who embodies everything he rejects: Célimène is coquettish, ostensibly superficial, a talented backstabber and a champion of double-dealing. Above all, she manages to keep the four suitors hovering around her in suspense - including the brave Alceste, who wants to force Célimène to come clean. Obviously, nothing is going to go according to plan...

As he showed with his electrifying take on Britannicus in 2019, director Florent Siaud knows how to shed light on our social issues through his contemporary approach to classical texts. For this Misanthrope for the present day, he has cast the remarkable Francis Ducharme, Alice Pascual and Évelyne Rompré as the quintessential Moliéresque trio: Alceste, Célimène and Arsinoé.

Playwright

Molière

Director

Florent Siaud

Assistant-director

Stéphanie Capistran-Lalonde

Cast

Alex Bergeron, Dany Boudreault, Francis Ducharme, Iannicko N’doua, Alice Pascual, Évelyne Rompré, Dominick Rustam et Mounia Zahzam

Production

TNM