Synopses & Reviews
Exploring each of Moliand#232;reand#8217;s 33 plays (including the divertissements) for its theatrical possibilities, Bermel deals with dramatic structures, settings, roles and their interactions, original productions, and outstanding recent stage performances in France, Britain, and the United States. His emphasis is theatrical rather than literary, philosophical, or biographical, although he necessarily brings these considerations to bear when discussing certain plays.
Bermel introduces a new methodology, one featuring the type of scrutiny directors, actors, and designers apply to any play before and during rehearsal. Thus he studies the dramatic implications of each scene or part of a scene by noting which characters are present, which ones are absent, and why. He analyzes each role, explores interactions among characters, traces the significance of structure, considers how much information is provided and who provides it, and examines such notable background factors as setting, season, and scenic arrangement. Using this methodology, Bermel provides new interpretations of Moliand#232;reand#8217;s most celebrated plays and demonstrates that many of the less famous plays also deserve attention.
Previous Moliand#232;re critics have been conservative, especially in that they favor traditional stagings; Bermel, however, encourages new explorations of the plays. His main intention is to keep Moliand#232;re alive and vital for present and future readers and audiences. Nowhere is this more apparent than in his attention to, and sympathy for, female characters and their points of view.
Review
"There had yet to be a first-rate American book on Moliand#232;re. This is it."and#151;Eric Bentley
Review
"Bermel gives an up-to-date comprehensive review of Moliand#232;reand#8217;s complete theatrical output in English, and does it from the standpoint of the actability of the plays, and does it very well.... The style is lively, felicitous, immensely readable." and#151;Marcel Gutwirth, Distinguished Professor of French, CUNY Graduate School
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. 275-278) and index.
About the Author
Albert Bermel is Professor of Theatre at Lehman College and the Graduate Center of CUNY and Chairman of the Speech and Theatre Department at Lehman College. A playwright and theatre scholar with 11 other books to his credit, Bermel has published translations of 13 Moliand#232;re plays, including The Miser, which was directed by Andrei Serban at the American Repertory Theatre.