Molière: The Miser
When the love of wealth is the greatest pleasure of all…
Can a person be so rich that they ultimately lose everything that truly matters? Molière’s The Miser is one of the best-known comedies in world drama, and even after more than three centuries, it has lost none of its satirical bite. The story of the old Harpagon, for whom money and possessions matter more than his own children, love or human relationships, is absurdly funny – and at the same time uncomfortably relevant today.
In its production, the Trenčín Municipal Theatre returns to Molière’s era, when professional travelling theatre companies toured Europe, bringing audiences comedy, satire and social criticism. Molière himself spent years travelling with his theatre company and never shied away from speaking his mind in his plays. The Trenčín ensemble brings this tradition directly to the stage – with an emphasis on lively interaction with the audience, exaggerated acting and the atmosphere of theatre that can spring to life practically anywhere actors and audiences come together.
Harpagon’s obsession with money, however, begins to have serious consequences. His children want to marry the people they love, while he has entirely different plans for their lives. And when he discovers one day that his secret cash box has disappeared, utter chaos breaks out. Suspicions, lies, disguises, matchmaking and the struggle for love and wealth gradually reveal the true nature of every character.
The Trenčín Municipal Theatre has been an independent theatre company in the city for more than two decades. It staged its first premiere in 2002 and has since created dozens of productions – ranging from original works to adaptations of major works of Slovak and world literature. The theatre creates productions for audiences of different generations and presents its work not only in Trenčín, but also in other towns and regions across Slovakia.
Come and enjoy a classic comedy performed by the Trenčín ensemble – theatre as it was in Molière’s time, when all it took was to gather an audience, set a story in motion and let laughter reveal the truth about human nature.
