Molière on stage : what's so funny? /

Joy is what actors experience when they perform great theater, and joy is what theater lovers will feel when they read this fact-filled, elegantly written book on the incomparable comedic genius Moliere. Master of his craft, this consummate professional died three and a half centuries ago--leaving behind a demanding king, a cold wife, creditors, critics, and fawning admirers--but his plays have never ceased to inspire and delight. Examining 18 strikingly different productions, Goldsby (emer., theater, Univ. of California, Berkeley) argues that Moliere was first and foremost an actor and director who knew how to work an audience. He understood the importance of entrances and exits in the structure of a performance, the power of low-pitched voices or staccato speech, the message contained in the slightest movement of a body on stage. In this compelling analysis of exceptional French and American productions, including some of his own, Goldsby draws on personal experience gained from 50 years of studying, translating, and directing Moliere. He pays homage to both world-renowned directors--Copeau, Jouvet, Mnouchkine--and less familiar professionals, e.g., Robert Falls and Ron Leibman. By revealing the pure gold found in live theater, Goldsby proves that time does not diminish the laughter of true comedy. Summing Up: Essential. All readers. C. B. Kerr Vassar College