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MONMOUTH – Moliere’s “The Learned Ladies” opens at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, July 6, at the Theater at Monmouth. The play will run throughout the season, including weekday and weekend performances.
Two young people, Henriette and Clitandre, are in love, but in order to marry, they must overcome an obstacle: the attitude of Henriette’s family. Her sensible father and uncle are in favor of the marriage; but unfortunately her father is under the thumb of his wife, Philaminte. And Philaminte, supported by Henriette’s aunt and sister, wishes her to marry Trissotin, a “scholar” and mediocre poet with lofty aspirations, who has these three women completely in his thrall.
‘Les Femmes Savantes (The Learned Ladies)’, Moliere’s penultimate comedy, is a satire on academic pretention, the education of women and self-aware pretentiousness. It premiered at the Theatre du Palais Royal on March 11, 1672, and was never again performed in Moliere’s lifetime. It was brought back into prominence in 1970 through Richard Wilbur’s English language translation.
For a play written in 1672, the themes are quite modern. In the opening scene, Armande and Henriette argue about marriage. Armande thinks her sister should have higher goals than taking care of a family and running a household; that Henriette should study to improve her mind. Henriette is perfectly satisfied with the role of housewife — and all its physical demands. Molière mocks his “Learned Ladies,” not because he thinks women shouldn’t be educated, but because their excesses make them ridiculous.
“Moliere’s satirical point in ‘The Learned Ladies’ remains a timely one: he attacks his ladies not for their efforts to achieve intellectual emancipation from men, but because they affect erudition mindlessly – spewing about their pedantic, half-baked ‘knowledge” for the purpose of social climbing, as if book learning were the latest fashion in clothes. And, lest one fear that there’s an anachronistically sexist slant to Moliere’s message, it must be remembered that the most fatuous ”learned” character in the play, the poet Trissotin, is a man,” wrote Frank Rich in the New York Times in 1982.
Director Sally Wood believes, “‘Being right’ never goes out of fashion.” In The Learned Ladies, Wood says “Moliere masterfully creates worlds where the tap of self-righteousness runs free, and ladies and gentlemen, the bar is open!”
The Learned Ladies features Kelsey Burke as Armande, Maggie Thompson as Henriette, Wardell Julius Clark as Clitandre, Mark S. Cartier as Belise, Josh Carpenter as Ariste, Ryan Vincent Anderson as Chrysale, Meghan Leathers as Martine, Lucy Lavely as Philaminte, James Noel Hoban as Trissotin, Emery Lawrence as Lepine, J.P. Guimont as Vadius, Ben Shaw as Julien, and Mackenzie Shaw and CJ Stewart as Ensemble. Set design is by Meg Anderson, costume design by Jonna Klaiber, lighting design by Gregg Carville and sound design by Rew Tippin.
For schedule and ticket information, contact the box office at 933-9999 or visit www.theateratmonmouth.org.
