This Play Should Go Back to School

Director James Burrell has done no justice to Moliere's classic comedy, The School for Wives. His rendition of the play successfully butchered a superb script of romantic irony. The performances and staging were both plagued by novice efforts and an inability to cope with the script's complex dialogue. In the end, the play was humorous only by chance and by way of the strength of Moliere's brilliant writing.

Since Burrell also produced and both designed and built the set for this turmoil, there is only one person to blame for the disappointing on-stage organization.

The School for Wives, like Moliere's The Imaginary Invalid, deals with the themes of romantic intrigue and thwarted intentions. The play tells the comic story of a wealthy old suitor, Arnolphe (Jona Sacks) whose efforts to marry the lovely young Agnes (Carolyn Rendell) are bested by Horace (Chris Javornik), the handsome charmer whom Agnes adores. Unfortunately, Horace does not know that he and Arnolphe share a common interest, and he unwittingly confides in his wealthy opponent. Arnolphe, stubborn in tradition and beliefs, sequesters Agnes and attempts to sabotage Horace's plans.

From the beginning, the main characters were unable to convincingly handle the script's complex rhyming dialogue. In the first scene, Arnolphe discusses unfaithful wives and meek husbands with his friend Chrysalde (David Gerster). Little does Arnolphe know that he will soon be the victim of the cuckoldry he so readily mocks.

This scene was married by Chrysalde's pechant for forcing out his lines. The way Gerster delivered his lines seemed to mock Moliere's verse rather than genuinely interpret it. The conversation became a shouting match of couplets rather than a poetic discussion between two friends.

Burrell intended the smaller roles in The School for Wives, such as Arnolphe's man and woman servants, to add some comic flavor to the production. However, the actors who played them did little more than demonstrate the simple training they had received from their director. Their efforts at clumsiness were too poorly-choreographed and too lackluster to provide any kind of relief.

For example, when the two simpletons cowered before the wrath of Master Arnolphe, Burrell had them perform more acrobatic stumbling than the Lowell JCR stage should have to endure. The most abominable aspect of their performances was the pseudodialect of the male servant, Alain (Bliss Dake). One could never be sure whether he derived his verbal twang from the deep South, southern California or the center of London. The accent quickly became so distracting that the servant follies never attained their potential hilarity.

Besides having his servants abuse his young rival, Arnolphe uses his educated influence to train Agnes to be the perfect Bible-reading woman. Moliere intended the simple Agnes and noble Horace to be desperate heroes forced to fight to defy their oppressors. To their credit, both actors managed to accomplish this illusion and remain entertaining.

In particular, Javornik delivered a convincing performance as the boastful young suitor. His sexual innuendos always elicited knowing laughter from the young men and women in the audience. And Rendell's voice carried well--her clear diction stood in sharp contrast to Sacks' undiscernable rants, shouts and grumbles.

However, the few standout performances were buried by poor production values. The end of each scene and the beginning of the play were smothered in darkness. Not only was this effect disorienting, but it also became slightly scary when one did not know the person in the neighboring seat. Such drastic lighting procedures should be avoided, Faded lighting between scenes gives the audience an opportunity to focus on the set, while affording them time to consider what just occurred and what will possibly happen in the next act.

The set for this play was basic and functional. The on-stage house increased the amusing effect of the pantomime entre-acts, but the set was not so massive as to obstruct the movement of the actors.

In The School for Wives' humorous ending, Horace finally gets to marry the woman for whom he risked life and limb. On the other hand, the ending is nowhere near as pleasant for Arnolphe, whose treacherous antics leave him with neither friend nor wife. Although the audience has done nothing to deserve such treatment, this production forces us to share similar agonies. With a few significant exceptions, the cast and crew of The School for Wives have done little more than make a mockery of Moliere's fine script. Like Arnolphe, Burnell should be looking for new ways to get the results he wants