Review: Educated Women
Theatricum Botanicum, (818) 905-0815
One of the pleasures of this time of year, when the evenings are warm and pleasant, is outdoor theatre—sitting back at the open-air amphitheater with the stars above, relaxing, and partaking in one of life’s great diversions. This month, there is no better place to enjoy such a treat than the Theatricum Botanicum, where a very funny production of Molière’s Educated Women is delighting audiences every weekend through August 31.
The Theatricum Botanicum has a knack for making classic works accessible to modern audiences. These actors obviously love what they are doing, and that enthusiasm is infectious. In their hands, the works of Shakespeare and Molière are not dusty museum pieces, but lively and entertaining productions. This is certainly true of Educated Women, with Philip Littell’s new translation and some playfully comic performances by a talented cast. Molière is a sharp observer of manners, and it is somehow reassuring to see that the gap between seventeenth-century France and modern America is not so wide as one might think.
The story concerns the travails of the Marquis Chrysale (David Elfendorf), whose wife Philaminte (Sharon Angeln), sister Beline (Madora Marshall), and elder daughter Armande (Polly Olshansky) are driving him to distraction with their quest for “education.” Astronomy, philosophy, and mathematics are just a few of the subjects these women pursue, while the menfolk are left bewildered. These women of excess are set on attaining supreme, unquestioned superiority—a course of action that has hilarious results. Complaining all this is Chrysale’s younger daughter Henriette (Jamie Gomez), who is quite content to pursue her true love, Clitander (Kristofer Soul). Add to the mix a peacocky poet, Vadius (very wittily played by Steven Main), an affected pedant, Trissotin (Dmitri Lindh), and a saucy kitchen maid, Martine (Loralee Phillips), and the result is a veritable encyclopedia of confusion and sheer drollery.
Director Ellen Geer has staged it all very shrewdly, imparting a contemporary feel without sacrificing the conventions of the period. Sharon Angeln delivers some wonderfully hilarious comedy as the self-involved Philaminte. There is music, provided by Elim Douglas, which adds considerably to the enjoyment. In addition, there is a period interlude play—a staging of Molière’s Impromptu—depicting the misguided playwright himself working with a troupe of actors before a performance.
Picnics on the Botanicum’s grounds are encouraged before the show. And be sure to bring a cushion, as the chairs are hard. ♦