Initial Director Statement for The Misanthrope

I'm directing a production of The Misanthrope at MSU in the fall. Here are some notes I've shared with the design team in anticipation of our first design meeting (April 7).

Misanthrope Director Statement

Premise: Unrealistic and imbalanced expectations lead to rupture.

This is a play about friendship and love in a world of absolute power enforced through surveillance. The premise statement primarily refers to Alceste, who pressures Célimène for a romantic commitment in isolation from society. Likewise, Célimène’s expectation that she can indefinitely string along five suitors ultimately blows up in her face. But we also see this idea early in the play when Oronte pressures Alceste to be his friend and to praise his poem, leading to a lawsuit between them. Along with Clitandre and Acaste, Oronte has unrealistic expectations of Célimène’s fidelity. In contrast, characters who know how to manage their expectations come together in the end: Eliante settles for Philinte as a secondary romantic interest, and it seems like they will be happy together.

The play is packed with ideas, often framed as opposites: Truth vs. Lies, Honesty vs. Tact, Private Self vs. Public Self, Litigation vs. Diplomacy, Privilege vs. Justice, Realism vs. Idealism. “Balance” works as a central image for this play, but characters’ approaches to balance might differ.

The play was originally written in 1666 during a period of great productivity for Molière, which coincided with a tension in the playwright’s relationships with his young wife Armande, with some members of his theatre company, and with King Louis XIV. The King is an ever-present force lurking behind the scenes of The Misanthrope, and characters constantly talk about their possible influence with the King.

Our production will be set in/inspired by the 1750s, under King Louis XV. Partly because this is a fun, sexy design period, and partly because the language of the translation is a bit more modern. I have chosen Constance Congdon’s translation because I’ve worked on it before, and I think it works better for actors than Richard Wilbur’s version because she doesn’t punch the rhymes as much.

I say “set in/inspired by” because I’m open to the exercise of period research and historical accuracy, or to making choices that use the period a jumping-off point.

Setting

The whole play takes place in one room in Célimène’s house. She is a wealthy widow, presumably having been married to a much older man. In Act II it feels like a salon. So it’s a semi-public room in her house, where she receives guests. (But Alceste and some others feel comfortable hanging out there when she’s not around.) Probably she has redecorated after her husband’s death, and it has more of a feminine touch. I like the idea of painting a geometric design on the floor in the Arena, whether it’s a traditional parquet floor, an eighteenth-century carpet, or something more whimsical.

Costumes and Hair/Make-up

In terms of costumes, what’s most important for the story is that there’s a continuum of fashion where Alceste and Arsinoé will be the most conservative (note: Alceste has to have green ribbons); Philinte and Eliante have a classy sense of chic; Célimène, Acaste, and Clitandre are very fashion-forward; and Oronte is trying too hard. No one really needs more than one costume, but it would be nice if Célimène could have some changes since we’re in her house and she has access to her wardrobe, and she’s rich and cares about fashion a lot. All the characters are very sure of themselves, confident, decisive.     

This eighteenth century is potentially really crazy for wigs, but I’d rather not go too far. None of the women in this play would wear a boat on their head. A lot of the crazier stuff is satirical, anyway. And the 1750s are much more restrained than the 1770s. Most characters should be accessible and elegant. Alceste would probably not wear a wig, or might wear the short “round wig” like Rousseau did, starting in 1751.   

Lighting

This is a neoclassical comedy that takes place within 24 hours. I actually think it’s around 12 hours, with Acts 1-3 taking place between lunch and dinner, and Acts 4-5 taking place later at night. So it will be fun to play with time of day, probably natural lighting through windows for the first half, and then imitating candlelight for the second half. Another option is to play with mood and style. Act II is very theatrical, with characters performing imitations of others; this style might return at the beginning of Act IV when Philinte imitates Alceste, but then Act IV goes to a much more intense place.

Sound

It would be great to have music between scenes. The transitions won’t be too long, as there should be little need to move furniture. The 1750s is the time of the Querelle des Bouffes (1752-1754), which pitted Italian opera buffa (Pergolesi) against French tragic opera (Lully and Rameau). Alceste would be on the traditional French side of that divide, and Célimène would likely be more interested in the newer form. (In fact, the song Alceste sings in Act I was written around 1550.) It would be fun to compose some music in imitation of both sides and use these musical styles to mark when Alceste is dominating vs. when Célimène is dominating.