Top of my list for plays to see at the Stratford Festival this season was The Miser by Molière. Even though it was first performed in 1668 it is still so relatable today as a miser, paranoid that someone will steal his money, buries it in his garden. His orphaned niece and nephew live with him and both want to marry people he won’t approve of and the hilarity ensues as they scheme to get his approval of their mates and thus secure their inheritances that he controls. Much to their surprise, the miser also has marriage plans.
Colm Feore plays the starring role and makes a great miser. My sister and I had seen him earlier in the season as Richard III and he never fails to deliver a stellar performance. He at times broke the fourth wall; the most amusing when he discovered someone had stolen his buried money and the house lights came up and he started to accuse members of the audience – “thieves wear masks” and most of us were wearing masks as that is still highly recommended by the theatre. I look forward to seeing what plays he will be in next year at the festival.
