BILL BRAY tells you how to end the season with a flourish. Call on Marivaux, of course!
The eighteenth century French dramatist Pierre Marivaux (1688-1763) was not much in evidence among British revivals until the second half of the twentieth century. In the past twenty years his plays have been recognised both here and in his home country for the theatrical gems that they are. The National Theatre scored a triumph in 2004 with its production of The False Servant in this version by Martin Crimp with sharp and witty language, as packed with double entendres as is the plot with double-crossings.
It is easy to see why a verb in French was created to describe Marivaux's works. Marivauder implies fanning amorous and witty badinage around a rococo salon. Thanks to Crimp, the dialogue is less like English Restoration Comedy; this is a sharper, cruel version derived from the Commedia del'Arte and Molière, with a touch of Marivaux's contemporary, Voltaire.
There is also a hint of Noël Coward in this bizarre comedy, which has a cross-dressed chevalier, who uses the disguise to discover the true intention of her suitor. Is it just her money or is it love? The play fits easily into a 1920s setting which underlines the Coward connection even more.
Neil Bartlett, another translator of Marivaux, has pointed out that almost all his plays were written for the Comedie Italien, the rival company to the Comedie Francaise and the former company was led by Silvia Balletti, who was the greatest female star in Paris. Marivaux's women are very appealing; independent both financially and intellectually, unapologetic and emotionally adventurous and all his best roles were lovingly written for Silvia.
It is a surprisingly modern play. A romantic play? Certainly. A funny play? Definitely. An entertainment to end the season with a flourish? I'd put money on it! Make sure you get to this one.
PHILIP VANDER GUCHT, director, introduces the play
Michael Frayn once wrote that 80 per cent of the art of directing lies in choosing a good cast. With more than a year of research and planning and then some eight weeks of intensive rehearsal and back-stage work, my team and I hope that we add more value than the remaining 20 per cent!
On one level the play is simply good fun: girl dresses as man to uncover the true nature of her intended husband, things go wrong, identities are mistaken; the recipe for plenty of laughter is there. But there is a deeper level in Marivaux's writing too. There is a dark, unpleasant side to these selfish people.
The challenge is to explore the make up of each of the characters, endeavouring to understand what meaning really lies beneath the author's words, grasping the text and the sub-text revealing Marivaux's intentions for the benefit of the audience.
Our task is to bring Marivaux's people to life, to entertain you with his exquisite dialogue and to show you his view of the nature of man: capable of greed, lust, love and emotional domination - it is all here against a backdrop of laughter.
As Marivaux says in the original "Le coeur de l'homme est un grand fripon". I will leave you to translate that!
