"Backstage" loves the Bourgeois!

The Bourgeois Gentilhomme
December 04, 2008
Reviewed by Neal Weaver
(excerpt)
High style and low comedy merge in this new adaptation of Molière's classic tale of nouveau riche Parisian shopkeeper Monsieur Jourdain (Jeff Atik), whose ambition to mingle with the aristocracy leads to his being swindled by shady Count Dorante (Troy Dunn), humiliated by his daughter's suitor Cleonte (Garth Whitten), and deceived by all.

But fortunately for him, he's too self-obsessed to notice he's been hornswoggled. In their free adaptation, director Frederíque Michel and designer-managing director Charles Duncombe have added unexpected elements to the 17th century classic — including a martial arts instructor (Mariko Oka) for M. Jourdain, a transvestite cooch dancer (Matt Cooke), raunchy one-liners, and a handful of songs by Duncombe and John Gregory Willard.

Though Molière's stock-in-trade was the combining of extravagant artifice with down-to-earth commonsense, director Michel's penchant for stylization sometimes results in her treating artifice a bit too artificially, but the prevailing wit, buffoonery, and slapstick provide necessary grounding. And Michel has assembled a large and able crew of farceurs.

Duncombe has created the handsome set, and Josephine Poinsot deftly mingles lavish — and sometimes loony — period costumes with modern dress.

Presented by and at City Garage, 1340-1/2 Fourth St., Santa Monica. Nov. 7-Feb. 22, 2009. Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 5:30 p.m. (Dark Fri. 8 p.m., Nov. 28. Also Dec. 22-Jan. 8.) (310) 319-9939.