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The Would Be Gentleman
By Moliere
Directed by Andrea Hooymans
Produced by George Sallis – Giant Olive
Lyon & Unicorn Theatre
NW5 2ED
The genius in Moliere’s comedy lies in the creation of a character or of a stereotype capable of containing all the ridiculousness and all the grossness of an entire society. Tartuffe, The Misanthrope, and The Would Be Gentleman embrace the ludicrous weaknesses of the general public. And though one speaks of weaknesses, one must not overlook the extraordinary force of their universal themes, which challenge every generation from the end of the 17th century onwards. The Would be Gentleman, like many other works by Moliere, is a survivor through time.
The protagonist, Monsieur Jourdain, is a middle class, middle aged man, who has accumulated enough riches through the years to afford to aim at something a bit more tasteful and sophisticated than the mediocrity of the life his social status has to offer. In his escalade to refinement and aristocracy, he arms himself with dance and music lessons, philosophy and fencing classes. All that is “of quality” attracts him; he is drawn to the upper class like a magpie is drawn to gold and shiny objects.
Of course, the comedy derives from his inability to be what he wants to be, and from his presumption and blind vanity, which prevent him from seeing the bitter reality of his buffoonery.
Giant Olive’s representation of Moliere’s play, as the company’s first production, was admirable.
Simon Ryerson had jumped in as Monsieur Jourdain only a few days before I saw the show, in substitution of the former lead, who had abandoned the production for personal reasons. Ryerson, though with a script, performed well. He managed to caricature a clumsy and flamboyant character, and he was not the only substitute. Asa Joel in the vests of Cleonte, the aspiring husband to Jourdain’s daughter, had only been rehearsing for a week, as the previous Cleonte had also left the show. The replacements were not a burden, au contraire, their courage sustained by their experience of the trade and good will, gave ripe fruits and on went the show.
The presence of the actual script in itself was not too intrusive, because it was cleverly assigned the role of Monsieur Jourdain’s Guide on how to be a gentleman, a sort of note book containing codes dictated by the bon ton.
Alex Hunter doubled up as the Philosophy Master and Interpreter and was outstanding in both roles. His energy on stage was magnetic and his timing was acute. Simon Mathis overwhelmed us with an exquisitely arrogant interpretation of the Dance Teacher and Dorante.
A gripping and vibrant performance able to deliver several moments of pure good humour, I was very amused.
By Liza Adebisi
