"As the purpose of comedy is to correct the vices of men, I see no reason why anyone should be exempt." -Moliere

Day 41

I'm not much of a classical theatre person. I haven't read or seen a lot of those types of plays, so I don't have any attachment to that type of theatre. I finally got the chance to read "The Miser" by Moliere and completely fell in love. I didn't realize how funny his plays are, or at least this one. There is the master/servant relationships within the play that make for a lot of funny scenes. Servants that try and rise up to surpass the master, and masters that are timid or just plain dumb. There's almost a vaudeville type style to this play. It could be very over-the-top and crazy at some moments. Almost a broad comedy, which I adore.

One thing I don't like, which is the case with a lot of classical plays, is the lack of female characters, or at least female characters with substance. When dealing with "The Miser", if you ask me what part I would like to play, I would probably list at least 3 male roles before saying any of the female characters. They are just so boring compared to all the guys in the show. It almost seems like they're just there for decoration, or to be idolized by the lead male character. This is why I don't suggest classical plays for the university to do, because for every one female character there are at least 3 male characters. I would love to watch, but I don't want to have to audition and almost dumb down the acting a little bit. But don't get me wrong, I'm not lessening the female roles. There still is a lot of acting involved, but not as complex as a lot of modern female roles today.

So, to conclude, thumbs up for Moliere, thumbs down for lack of good female roles, and thumbs up for theatre in general. Huzzah.