A review of the After Hours production of “The Misanthrope” by Moliere
If you were in Upstairs Haggar on Saturday, Feb. 21, you were in for a wild ride. From complex romances and suitor rivalries to smashed cakes and banana peels, junior drama major Isabel Williams’ staged reading of “The Misanthrope” had it all.
“The Misanthrope”, produced by Williams and directed by senior drama and philosophy major Allison Peterman, was a product of UD’s After Hours program. Made possible by the drama department, After Hours is open to anyone interested in making theater. Past After Hours productions have included staged readings, improvisation workshops and the annual 24 hour theater project.
This particular project was inspired by the drama education curriculum. “We read “The Misanthrope” in Theater Lit. I last semester, and we loved the plot and thought it was really funny,” said Williams, who played the role of Celemene. “I thought it would be cool to put on a production and incorporate classmates from Theater Lit I.”
The most striking element of “ The Misanthrope’s” production was probably the mere nine hours of preparation time before the show. “I think working in a time crunch really helped us pour effort and energy into the play,” said director Peterman. “We knew there was no time for messing around, so everyone buckled down and gave it their all, which was awesome. I think the play was immensely successful given the time we have, and it was a privilege to direct.”
Sophie Le, junior drama and business major, said, “It’s very interesting to only have from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. When you get into that space of course you read off the script but you make it into your own and allow yourself to act as the character and have the play consume you. That’s how you create drama magic.”
Of course, UD is a school of independent thinkers, and this version of “The Misanthrope” had some very unique and innovative props. Like the banana. Senior philosophy major Aidan Cook, who played the role of Alceste, said “The banana might have been my favorite part. It should have been introduced as its own character… It started out as ‘you need to be doing something in this scene and then the banana just kept coming back.”
The use of the banana was concocted by Peterman, who turned a seemingly out of place prop into a beautiful conclusion.
“The text of ‘The Misanthrope’ ends on a very strange note without much resolution, so I wanted to find a way to solve the ending so it was satisfying,” Peterman said. “I had a random thought to have Joseph [Sacco, as Alceste] eat a banana during a speech, which led to him later putting the banana peel on his head while he had a breakdown. I chose to end the play with Isabel [as Celimene] picking up the peel, putting it on her head and breaking down crying. It was silly, but beautiful.”
With eight hours of rehearsal, a love for theater and patented UD determination, the company of “The Misanthrope” blew the audience away. Nolia Alexander, senior psychology major, said, “Everyone portrayed their roles really well… Penelope with Joseph Sacco was so good… Charlotte [Zarzecki] with Lucy [Gallagher]… The very end with just Isabel, crying her eyes out over a glass of wine was great. There was no piece that was better than another.”
“I loved the energy the final production had,” said Peterman. “Everyone leaned into both the absurd and the profound aspects of the play, and that took the audience on quite the ride!” It’s hard to say who had more fun, the cast or the audience.
“This is my first ever production I’ve acted in at UD,” said Le. “It was a really fun, really wonderful experience. I enjoyed getting to block everything with everybody, letting the play read for itself and letting it take over the space. Once we did a readthrough and started blocking, everything just started getting in place.”
“The Misanthrope” is not only another inspiring example of UD’s raw talent, but also of its accessibility to make theater.
“If there’s a play you really want to do, they’re going to give you all the tools you need to do it,” said Williams. “You’re very capable and it’s very much in your own hands to create the art you want to create, and you don’t have to wait around for someone to do it for you.”