Arpad Schilling's production for the Hungarian theatre company Kretakor transposes Molière's comedy to the contemporary gay community. The result is a savage satire on hypocrisy, truth-telling and how we can control our brains, but not our hearts. First off, though, it is the audience that comes under the spotlight in the opening sequence. Played in front of a heavy red theatre curtain, the scene makes it clear that our poses and positions are under scrutiny, too, as Alceste, a man who always speaks his mind, savages Oronote's love poetry.
Schilling's production cleverly makes you take sides and later pulls the carpet right away from under you, as the catastrophic consequences of both truth-telling and deceit become all too apparent. It is set largely in Celimene's apartment, where the doorbell trills the tune of Only You and a teddy bear sits on the pristine white couch. This gay siren's hangers-on include a glamrock band all decked out like Adam Ant, allowing the production to make plenty of visual nods to the 17th century while remaining contemporary. For once, the final parting of the self-destructive Alceste and the fickle elimene seems truly heart-breaking, although again it is mischievously undercut by the bright filmse-style lights and Celimene's knowing rendition of Harry Nilsson's syrupy hit song - the one that goes: "I can't live ... if living is without you."
Setting and play fit each other like hand and glove, but the show needs much more sharply defined performances than it gets here to really carry the transposition to its gay setting, and inevitably much of Molière's wicked wit gets lost in translation. But it is a clever, entertaining evening, despite the fact that two hours without an interval is too long to spend in a venue that, even on a cool night, offers a free sauna along with the performance.
· Ends tomorrow. Box office: 020-7930 3647.
.jpg?w=600)
