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The Misanthrope

Reviewed by Deborah Klugman

Classical Theatre Lab at Kings Road Park

Through August 16

RECOMMENDED:

In director Tony Tanner’s amusing if somewhat decorous adaptation of The Misanthrope – performed out of doors for the public free of charge – lead performer Christopher Salazar comes off as a disgruntled guy, less a people-hater than a frank person with little taste for dissembling.

The unhappiness of Salazar’s character, Alceste, springs not only from his blunt tongue, which produces all sorts of money-draining lawsuits, but from his hopeless infatuation with Celimene (Rebecca Lincoln), a notorious coquette who loves to keep men on a string. Though he understands all too clearly Celimene’s flightiness and its wearing effect on his peace of mind, Alceste cannot help himself. He is obsessed.

Three hundred and fifty years after it premiered in 1666, Moliere’s satire still scores with its irony and insight. Tanner’s adaptation, which condenses the play to approximately 75 minutes, showcases the wit of the original while making it more accessible with an infusion of contemporary jargon. Susan Deeley Wells’s attractive simple set and Natalie Shahinyan’s costumes serve the production well.

What the production could use is a shade more lunacy. Miscast as Celimene, Lincoln’s vamp is too tame – too much a flirty flower arranger and not enough the irresistibly sexy charmer the comedy calls for. The rest of the ensemble, including Salazar, do fine, handling their roles ably, if not unforgettably, in muggy near 90-degree heat. Kudos for that.

Classical Theatre Lab, Outdoors at Kings Road Park, 1000 Kings Road. WeHo.; Sat.-Sun., 4 p.m. (dark July 26 and Aug. 2); through August 16. (323) 960-5691, https://www.classicaltheatrelab.org. FREE