L’Avare (Molière) 2019

L’Avare, five-act comedy by Molière, first performed in 1668 and published in 1669. The plot concerns the classic conflict of love and money. The miser Harpagon wishes his daughter Elise to marry a wealthy old man, Anselme, who will accept her without a dowry, but she loves the penniless Valère. Harpagon himself has set his eye on young, impoverished Mariane, whom his son Cléante also loves... Only a ludicrously lucky set of circumstances can, in the final scene, save the hapless children from their father’s heartless stinginess. Although L’Avare is usually considered to be a comedy, its tone is one of absurdity and incongruity rather than of gaiety.

Cast

Valère – Luke Evans

Elise – Claire Cuminatto

Cléante – Jack Waterman

Harpagon – Erwann Limon

La Flèche – Enrique Munoz Delange

Maître Simon – Wendy Smith

Frosine – Flora Abd Rabo

Dame Claude – Nigel Utton

Brindavoine – Kim Tang

La Merluche, the banker – Neil Allanach, Keith Bradley

Maître Jacques – Claudine Tourniaire

Mariane – Eva Garbarz

The Nun – Dani Limon

Le Commissaire – Nassima Atmaoui-Fischer

Anselme – Roger Baines

Direction and design – Ralph Yarrow, Erwann Limon

Production manager – Claudine Tourniaire

Publicity and schools liaison – Roger Baines, Ilse Renaudie, Claudine Tourniaire

Website – Roger Baines

Set building – Rachel and Erwann Limon

Lighting and sound operator – Zoe Callow, Marguerite Vernet

Stage managers – Neil Allanach, Keith Bradley

Costumes – Anne Giles / Sewell Barn, Rachel Limon, Claudine Tourniaire

Choreography – Wendy Smith

Musical direction – Bob and Suzie Hanna, Erwann Limon

Poster – Elise Limon

Programme – Claudine Tourniaire

Photo – Andi Sapey

Filming – Bert Eke

Front of house – Patrick Allen, Inès Boukhlif Yahia, Ho Lau, Elisa Marinas-Martinez, Charlotte Monvoisin, Agniete Radziunaite, Bénédicte Rebouillat, Ilse Renaudie