The School for Wives
By Jean-Baptiste Poquelin- Moliere
Directed by Jean-Pierre Mignon
At Melbourne's Gasworks Theatre
$18/$13 concession
Bookings 699 3253
Reviewed by Peter Boyle
To find that a play with a "feminist" message written more than 300 years ago still makes a powerful impact today is a sad reminder of how far society still has to go to banish womens' oppression.
The fact that the play scores sharp points in the contemporary context was borne outr by the laughter it generated in the audience. The farce is built upon the insecurity of an ageing and possesive bourgeois man and if they had become a rarity today, the jokes would simply not work so well. Instead an audience would find it curious.
When School For Wives was first presented in 1662 it caused a scandal though the king, Louis XIV, "held his sides with laughter" thus assuring it success. But Moliere's critics said the play was obscene, vulgar and immoral provoking him to put out a reply on the stage called The Critique Of The School For Wives.
While Moliere's work has enjoyed lasting popularity, unfortunately the pious double standards of male chauvinism have also persisted.
Ernie Gray put intense energy into the role of Arnolphe, the central character (whose plot to mould the perfect faithful wife comes to grief) and this paid off well in this presentation by Australian Nouveau Theatre. The English verse translation by Richard Wilbur is also brilliant. This is very entertaining theatre with a powerful message.