THE MISER written by Molière adapted by David Ball directed by Dominique Serrand May 12–June 25, 2006 The Roda Theatre running time: 2 hours and 45 minutes, including one 15 minute intermission “Obscenely funny…Hilarity bares its teeth in Theatre de la Jeune Leune’s magnificent version of Moliere’s The Miser. It also bares its buttocks, stands on its head, climbs the walls, falls through the unreliable floor and lolls its tongue with obscenely funny, more than lascivious greed.”—San Francisco Chronicle “Hugely funny…Exploded like a crazed circus train on the Roda Theatre stage…the whole stage [is] an acrobatic playground…the laughs teeter dangerously at the edge of tragedy…a theatrical piece for contemporary audiences…charged with a sense of immediacy…this is not your father’s Miser.”—Contra Costa Times “Gut-busting…theatrical exuberance…an unconventional blend of slapstick, physical comedy, commedia dell’arte, wordplay and avant-garde staging…A vivid, gut-busting goosing of avarice…makes classic satire timeless…Nearly 340 years after its debut, The Miser resonates…The Tony-winning Theatre de la Jeune Lune spreads the theatrical wealth”—San Jose Mercury News “Seriously funny…Berkeley Rep’s Miser gives until it hurts…a potent blend of classic clowning and the kind of contemporary cynicism that equates pain and discomfort with the height of comedy…A joy to watch. Adept physical comedians with an equally impressive facility for verbal tricks and pathos…a seriously funny meditation on the psychosis we call greed.”—Oakland Tribune “Fabulous…brilliantly performed and not to be missed.”—KGO Radio “Spectacular…screamingly funny”—Houston Chronicle “Remarkable—a must-see!”—Boston Herald This savagely funny comedy about a love affair between a man and his money gets a dazzling new production at Berkeley Rep. Greed is good—if you’re Harpagon, who has beggared his family to safeguard his hefty stash of cash. His frustrated children think differently, however—and now they must outsmart the old man to get the money they need to marry the mates they want. Can Harpagon hold onto his hoard (and get himself a hot young bride in the bargain), or will his offspring loosen his stranglehold on the family fortune? The Boston Globe says this production, from the Tony Award-winning Theatre de la Jeune Lune, has “such grace and wit that it’s churlish to be miserly with one’s praise.” So make an investment in The Miser—you’ll earn laughter with interest. INTERESTING LINK Molière and Louis XIV’s court