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Moliere's The School For Wives (Wilbur)
Moliere's The School For Wives (Wilbur)
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Author: Molière Adapted by: Richard Wilbur Publisher: Dramatists Play Service Format: Softcover # of Pages: 81 Pub. Date: 1991 ISBN-10: 0822209993 ISBN-13: 9780822209997 Cast Size: 2 women, 7 men
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About
the Play:
The School for Wives (English language version of L'école
des femmes) is a full-length comedy by Molière,
translated into English verse by Pulitzer Prize winner Richard
Wilbur. A pompous middle-aged
bachelor is determined to mold young his ward into the perfect bride
– for himself! But, it is he who gets the true education when best
laid plans fall prey to a determined rival suitor, a pair of inept
servants, and true love in Molière's classic comedy. A
resounding popular and critical success on Broadway, this is a
sparkling version of one of the
great comedies of the French Theater.
The School for Wives concerns a hapless middle aged man who
is undone by his own double dealing and double standards. Arnolphe
has painstakingly trained the guileless Agnes from childhood to
become his obedient and faithful wife. Although he has carefully
shielded her from the outside world, romance finds her in the form of
the dashing Horace, son of one of Arnolphe's best friends. Unaware of
who his rival is, the trusting Horace enlists Arnolphe's aid in
wooing Agnes – that leads to a series of hilarious and inventive
twists and turns of plot, until the inevitable conclusion is reached:
The wily Arnolphe is duped into outwitting himself, and young love,
as it will, carries the day. The appeal of a battle of wits, rhyming
verse, mercurial shifts from sacred to profane, the soaring poetry
and the base humor, all help make Molière's comedies as fresh today
as when they were first written.
L'école des femmes
was first performed in 1672 at the Théâtre du Palais-Royal in
Paris, and is considered by many to be Molire's masterpiece. Richard
Wilbur's subtle verse
translation The School for Wives premiered
in 1971 at the Lyceum
Theatre on Broadway in New York City.
Cast: 2 women, 7 men
What people say:
"It once more shows that
Molière can be funny, blithe and totally enchanting." —
New York Times
"…warmth, the richness of
smiling humanity and a marvelous quality of humorous zest."
— New York Post
"…a thing of joy…a
carefree, happy and sparkling romp to be seen and enjoyed by young
and old alike." — New York Newsday
About the Playwright:
Molière was the stage
name of Jean Baptiste Molière (1622-1673). His plays achieved great
success and elicited enormous controversy with their religious
irreverence.
Richard Wilbur (1921-2017) was an acclaimed American poet
and literary translator. A former chancellor of the Academy of
American Poets and United States Poet Laureate, he is one the 20th
century's most eminent American poets and literary translators. He
won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry – twice – among many other
awards. He also established himself as the finest translator of
Molière's plays and his verse translations have been performed for
audiences throughout the world. |
Molière, translated by Richard Wilbur
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Moliere Translated by Richard Wilbur
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