The Misanthrope

This is the third production I've seen at the White Bear this year, and none of them has disappointed. This new translation of Moiliere is not perfect, and the rhyming couplets do grind you down sometimes, but it's still well worth seeing. I hear that it's going to the Trafalgar Studios. I hope it is redirected there to make room for the bigger space. I'm glad I saw it here, rather than than at the silly prices the Studios charge. My main gripe with this production was with the audience: a few of whom thought that it was acceptable to wander across the stage while the actors were in flow in order that they could go to the toilet. It's great that the White Bear is reaching out beyond the usual theatre going public, but maybe the pints of beer on sale next door should be discouraged until the play has ended.

Just to echo what everyone else has said, this was excellent! I knew nothing about this play before seeing it, in many ways the best way to see a classic - no burden of expectation or awe for "a literary masterpiece". As it was, the dialogue was an intriguing combination of rhymed couplets with deliberate anachronisms, sounds horribly contrived, but really worked. The unusual linguistic pattern added a certain formality without ever getting in the way of the action, which came to life vividly. All the performances were excellent and were really working for their supper, no taking the audience for granted here. Hard to come to definite conclusions about the play and character itself, but you are definitely inspired to find more about it,and the author. This is really a hidden gem at an incredibly reasonable price for very intimate theatre. Being set in a rather rough and ready pub adds a touch of Shakespearean authenticity to the situation as well.

Absolutely outstanding! A strong cast, nicely balanced and really sparking off one another. This deserves a larger audience.

This show is brilliant! Great acting by the whole cast and story[both funny and sad] told really well.Think it will outshine the West End production easily-go see it !!

A play well worth seeing. Very strong cast, very funny and then very thought provoking. All this managed with a very basic set. This is what acting is all about. Go and see it.

The Misanthrope at the White Bear is a great production, full of the humour and mischief that Moliere intended, but the wonderful rhyming couplets are updated to the present. The acting is terrific ... Well worth seeing.

‘The Misanthrope’, at The White Bear Theatre, in Kennington, is quite simply the best theatre I have seen in ages! This new translation, by Tony Harrison, is a delightfully wicked modern take on the classic Moliere play. The updated dialogue is crisp and tight, and delivered especially well by the two leads, David Brown (playing Alceste) and Juliet Crawford (playing Célimène). In fact, the performances are, for the most part, pretty much spot-on, and the direction, by Simon Evans, not only brings out the nuances of the story, but also keeps it rattling along at an invigorating pace. Sure, a snappy set might have been nice, but this is small-venue, low-budget theatre, where it’s all about the acting; as far as bare bones, ‘in-your-lap’ theatre goes, this is it at its best. Go see it!

This play was effortlessly entertaining and I'd recommend it to anyone. Some really funny moments and some really touching moments too. It was brilliantly acted, with each actor managing to make Moliere's totally bizarre characters genuinely believable. The night I was there the place was totally full and everyone in the audience seemed to be having a whale of a time! I saw some truely dreadful fringe theatre 2 days before this and in a larger space. I want to urge people to go and see what good fringe theatre is really like...