“The Misanthrope,” which opened April 15 at The Theatre School, puts a modern spin on a timeless aspect of humanity: our social world. The play was originally written by Moliere in 1666, and directed by DePaul graduate student Brian Balcom. Through a fluid blend of today’s world with Moliere’s views on high society, the cast created an alarming yet sadly accurate picture of the upsetting nature of our social relationships — and the lack of sincerity within them.
The show started off with a back-and-forth analysis of human nature between Philinte — performed with an admirable sense of patience and wisdom by Jalen Gilbert — and Alceste, “the misanthrope,” a person who dislikes other people, after whom the play is named.
Brian Healy, a third-year student at The Theatre School, took on the lead role of Alceste with a very convincing critique of the flaws in society. His sudden outbursts of rage were impressive, and it is clear through the authenticity in which he embodied Alceste that Healy did his homework.
In addition, Healy’s long speeches on the wrongdoings of humankind paralleled his intense passion for Celemine, a beautiful and sly woman who seemed to be the object of everyone’s affections. Celemine was played by fellow third-year student Chloe Baldwin.
Baldwin’s depiction of Celemine was a delight to witness; her investment in the love-to-hate personality of the character could be seen right down to every eyebrow raise and astounded smile. The chemistry between Baldwin and Healy was clear throughout the entire performance, and one could imagine Moliere’s intent in pairing two people who hold such very different ideas of the way the world ought to be.
Perhaps the most notable aspect of this production was the mixture of the modern world with the dialogue of 15th century Europe, particularly shining through in the cast’s costumes.
“It has been challenging trying to achieve a cohesive style for this play,” DePaul student Madison Briede, the costume designer of “The Misanthrope” said. “Because the play is set in present day, I worked closely with the set designer, Jack Magaw, in working to achieve a neo-baroque style. All of the costumes have modern silhouettes, but incorporate motifs, embellishment and color palette that is evocate of the person that this play was originally written for.”
Briede described the overall design of the play as “sophisticated and refined with a splash of the absurd.” She also described the general process she goes through when doing costume design for a show.
“Generally my process begins with reading the script,” Briede said. “After I’ve given it a once over, I will go over the script again highlighting any information that I think is important or will influence my design.”
Briede followed this with creating preliminary designs and consulting with the design team and director to make sure what is being created is cohesive.
Briede’s thorough process of understanding the original intent and style of the play, along with the incorporation of today’s styles, truly represent the absurdity of social status and the delicate balance of truth and ridiculousness necessary for the environment of these characters. The Misanthrope brought together all of these elements, the costume design in particular, with flying colors.
