The Misanthrope is one of Moliere’s finest plays, its characters masterfully deployed in a trenchant comedy that exposes the hypocrisy of every society and every age. Τhis production, by the former Artistic Director of the Greek National Theatre, Yannis Houvardas, gives us a version where anything can happen, and in Chrysa Prokopaki’s excellent new translation, words become lethal weapons in the mouths of the protagonists.

Alceste, a respected member of society, is incurably in love with Célimène. However, he cannot abide anyone else, surrounded as he is by people engaged in flattery, gossip and intrigues, hypocrisy and lies. When Alceste sees with his own eyes that his beloved lives exactly the kind of life that he despises and that she rejects the path of true love, he chooses self-exile and loneliness.

An incurably honest hero who abhors hypocrisy wins our sympathy and admiration. Through the masterful writing of the great French comic dramatist, Alceste is elevated into a symbol that reflects our own preoccupations, speaking for us while also acting clearly making a protest on behalf of the writer.