White Bear Theatre

‘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!

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.