Mad Hatter

A Douglas College Newslette

DOUGLAS COLLEG
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MOLIERE’S PLAY A WINNER

The Douglas College theatre department dipped into the rich repertoire of Louis XIV's time and

  

 

 

 

came up with a winner - Moliére's 'The Would-Be Gentleman’ (Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme). Though
written over three hundred years ago, Moliére's script has lost none of its bite or fun - it is still

a romp in hyperbole, music and dance.

The initial impact of the production struck the audience when the lights came up on Drew Young's
simple but classic set - the reception hall of Monsieur Jourdain, the would-be gentleman. The rich
looking set with textured pillars and floors looked convincingly like marble but, more important,

the wide open set provided the space necessary for the exaggerated movements of the players, not

to mention the speedy entrances and exits needed in a fast-paced farce of this period.

This farce has not the depth of Moliére's comedies, 'Tartuffe' or 'The Misanthrope’; this is just a
light entertainment, a satiric look at one aspect of human foibles: the desire of M. Jourdain to
ape the manners of the gentility. Here pne gets no character development, hardly even plot
development; thus, by the end of the play we were no wiser, but we had laughed a lot.

Randy Goodchild, as M. Jourdain, had just the right degree of vacuousness as he set about to improve
himself with music, dancing, fencing and philosophy. It took a while for the audience to accustom
itself to the florid costumes and acting style, but Randy Goodchild provided a secure foundation for
the rest of the cast and by the time Pat Giasson entered with his marvellous caricature of a 17th

century philosopher any uncertainty in the cast had dissipated.

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In the Hat:

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