Project #6-Play Proposal for SHSU 2010-2011

1) The show I propose for SHSU in the coming 2010-2011 season is The Miser by Moliere.The Miser is about a penny pinching old man named Harpagon who is constantly watching his money and assumes that everyone is trying to steal it. His two children, Cleante and Elise are both in love with others. Cleante had fallen for Marianne whom Harpagon has decided he wants for himself and Elise has fallen for Valere who has taken a role in Harpagon's home in order to be close to Elise. Frosine the matchmaker for Harpagon as decided to match Marianne and Harpagon. Harpagon agrees given that her dowry is large enough. Le Fleche the servant later discovers the hidden box of treasure in the garden and shows it to Cleante. The two take the box thinking it will solve all of Cleante's problems and allow him to marry Marianne and not his father. The police come in to investigate and is told that is Valere who has taken Harpagon’s treasure. Valere believes they are questioning him about Elise and confesses to taking the “treasure”. Valere then reveals a startling secret that he is the son of a noble man known to everyone of Naples, Don Thomas d'Alburci. Anselme, the man Harpagon wishes to marry Elise to, states that he recalls the name but doubts its truth due to the fact that there was a terrible shipwreck and everyone perished. Valere produces evidence that Don Thomas d’Alburci is indeed his father. At this point Marianne reveals that this evidence means that she is Valere’s sister and her mother is also Valere’s. Anselme then reveals himself as their father and explains why he changed his name and sought to marry another wife in a different country. Anselme decides to pay for both of his children’s marriages, Marianne to Cleante and Valere to Elise and takes his children to see his wife. Harpagon is left alone with his money.
While this script is mostly farce and silly there are several themes that are present within the script. The most obvious is that of greed, obsessive greed. Harpagon is so obsessed with his money and getting as much of it as he can that he misses out on all the other things going on around him. There is also love clearly evident in the script. Marianne’s love for her ailing mother as well as her love for Cleante is evident. Elise’s and Valere’s love for each other is strong enough that Valere gives up his life to be close to her in her father’s house. Harpagon’s love for money beats his love for his children which leaves him truly alone at the end with his true love. Anselme’s love for his family drives him on an endless search for them and when he rediscovers them his love shows through when he offers up the money to pay for both weddings. Luck is also evident as a theme in the show. Luck brings each of the characters together in an unlikely situation. Anselme luckily settles in the same town as his wife and daughter and his son. Le Fleche luckily discovers the treasure hidden in the garden. Luckily all the members of the d’Alburci survived the tragic shipwreck.

2) Moliere born as Jean-Baptiste Poquelin was a French playwright and actor and even acted in his own work on numerous occasions. At the age of 21 Moliere abandoned his social standing to pursue a theatrical career founding L'Illustre Théâtre and began amassing a debt mostly from rent of the theatre for which Moliere served a stint in prison. Moliere eventually reached Paris in 1658 and performed in front of the King at the Lourve. He was awarded the title “Troupe de Monsieur”. Moliere’s farces were only partially written and were acted in the style of Commedia del’Arte although Moliere showed a preference for tragedy. Moliere was careful not to attack the monarchy which put him in favor with Louis XIV who protected Moliere. Moliere began suffering from an illness in the late 1660’s which influenced the way he portrayed his character, Harpagon, in The Miser. Moliere last performance came while he was playing the hypochondriac in The Imaginary Invalid where a bout of coughing caused him to hemorrhage but Moliere insisted on finishing the performance. Shortly after Moliere collapsed and died at home. Where two priests refused to visit and a third was too late. French law prohibited actors from being buried on sacred ground but his wife pleaded with the King who agreed to bury him at night in the part of the cemetery reserved for unsaved infants. The superstition that green brings bad luck to actors is said to originate from the color of the clothing that Moliere was wearing at the time of that he died.
The Miser is a comedy of manners farce that is written in five acts. It was performed for King Louis the XIV September 9, 1668. It is a fast-moving, satirical script was a surprise ending. This script is different from Moliere’s works in that when an actor delivers an aside to the audience the other characters demand to know who they are speaking to.

3) The Miser should be produced at SHSU this coming year because it will give students a chance to experience a farce that contains a moral message in the end. The Miser would also gives students a chance to experience a period comedy of manner piece. This script is not produced as often as some of Moliere’s other works so students would have the opportunity to create a unique character without basing that character on something they have already seen and are trying to imitate. This show can be treated with a sense of realism which has the possibility to increase the humor contained in the script. If the actors believe that what they are doing is real then the audience will.

4) Staging this show would require very little if any scene changes. This play has the opportunity to be performed in single set. A living room in the house of Harpagon would suffice. Due to Harpagon’s frugal nature the set would require very little extravagant spending details. The crew would have only basic lighting cues and very few sound cues. The most expensive and taxing of the production would probably be in the costumes. Period costumes are typically more expensive and harder to make.

5) I would want this production done in the Showcase theatre. I think producing the show in the showcase would create the idea of a frugal home better and allow the audience to be closer to the characters and allow a relationship to be established. If the weather permitted I would also like to try a performance or two in the pit. The wear and tear of the pit I think would also help create a feeling of frugality that Harpagon possesses. I seen this production being done as close to the original style as possible. I would want it set in 1668 in Paris. I want it to be treated like a comedy of manners but I do not want it to be so slap-sticky that it is just silly. I want to be funny because the characters truly believe in everything going on around them. I don’t want the stage to be dark in any way until Harpagon is left alone on stage with his one true love. I want him to realize that he is alone and to make the decision whether to stay that way. Maybe glimpsing back to the way his children just walked out and back to his money or something that suggests that. I think the crew would be very small after the set is built (if in the showcase). The costume designer would have the most work. During the show it would be unnecessary to have costume changes though other than the servants who play double roles so that Harpagon can save money. Those changes though involve only a hat to change and are done onstage in view of the audience.