A Molière Anthology

New versions by Justin Fleming

• The School for Wives
• Tartuffe
• The Miser
• The Literati

Molière lived in a world of extremes – literary frauds, religious hypocrites, oppressive parents, male sexists, medical charlatans, loan sharks and others who were the perfect target for satire. Apart from the fact that, for Molière, satirical drama was a dangerous pursuit, nothing much has changed for us today, because we know what he knew: life is a tragedy that we have learnt to laugh at. He also knew that when we traverse the corridor of reason and push any belief to dangerous extremes, that way madness lies. Laughter is a great tonic, because in the last analysis, it is a joyous form of moral judgment – what John Cleese called the sanction against rigid behaviour.

These new versions by Australian playwright Justin Fleming bring Molière in to the 21st Century and make them just as relevant and enjoyable to contemporary audiences as they were to French audiences in the 17th Century.