at the Emporikon Theater
At the Emporikon Theater, director Yannis Kakleas is tackling Molière’s well-known comedy-enigma,*The Misanthrope*, for the new theater season.
Molière’s biting prose, his relentless satire of the conservative hypocrisy of his time, and his belief in comedy as the most powerful weapon for social criticism make him a timelessly iconic writerwho“lives on” today, despite the 400 years that have passed since his birth.
A man of the theater—actor, playwright and theater director—a master of theatrical practice—with his comic flair and the masterpieces he wrote, he changed comedy forever.
They fought against him; they tried to silence his relentless criticism, but his bold social stance, his moral stature, and the power of his writing established him as one of the greatest creators in our theatrical tradition.
More relevant than ever, the autobiographical*Misanthrope*is written with sarcasm, anger, and an awareness of the absurdity of a rotten society in which hypocrisy, corruption, narcissism, injustice, sexism, the flaunting of wealth, the triumph of mediocrity, and the dominance of image are just some of its pathologies.
Alcest, the play’s hero—aggressive and disgusted by social decay, and angry at people’s hypocrisy—falls passionately in love with the beautiful Selimène, the epitome of femininity—a product of the very system he detests. And he finds himself trapped.
In a virtual reality system where the “mask” is our own face, does love have a place in a society dominated by images?
In *The Misanthrope*, Molière’s comic pen has the opportunity to satirize, using the tools of comedy that this brilliant writer knows how to employ, the eternal battle between men and women.
Yannis Kakleas attempts for the first time to engage with Molière’s world in a subversive spirit, with the intention of highlighting the elements of the play that are directly relevant to the reality we experience today.
The cast consists of a group of exceptional actors:
Odysseas Papaspiliopoulos plays the Misanthrope, and Eugenia Samara plays the demonic Selimen.
Orod, the antagonist of *The Misanthrope*, Stelios Iakovidis.
Athina Moustaka plays the role of Arsinoe, Selim‘s rival.
Thanos Birkos and Avgoustinos Koumoulos are suitors of the charming Selimen.
Alexis Fousekis and Kyriakos Salis, friends of the couple.
And finally, Fotini Atheridou, with her own satirical texts, takes on the role of a commentator who undermines any attempt by the play’s characters to appear serious.
