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 have a particular resonance today, when, in the name of higher ideals, intransigence reigns, as does the obligation to speak loudly and clearly in the right opinion. 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 accorded to individual sensibilities and the proliferation of opinions as raging as they are polarized?

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 constantly and unsuccessfully tries 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 double-dealer. Above all, she manages to keep the four suitors hovering around her in suspense - including the brave Alceste, who wants to force Célimène to declare herself frankly. Of course, nothing goes according to plan...

As he demonstrated with his electrifying Britannicus in 2019, director Florent Siaud knows how to illuminate our social issues with his contemporary approach to classical texts. For Misanthrope au temps présent, he has cast the remarkable Francis Ducharme, Alice Pascual and Évelyne Rompré as the quintessential Moliéresque trio: Alceste, Célimène and Arsinoé.