The Miser

by Molière

WORLD PREMIERE! of a new version by Stephen Booser*

August 25, 26, 27, September 1, 2, 3

Directed by Art Suskin

The Barn Players is thrilled to be presenting the world premiere of a new adaptation of Molière's The Miser by Kansas City playwright Stephen Booser. This version maintains the original madcap comedy of the original 16th century French farce, but has been adapted to play well to the modern American ear.

Synopsis:
The widower Harpagon, so cheap he’d swipe the pennies off a dead man’s eyes, rules his roost with a tight, iron fist. His unhappy, rebellious children, Cléante and Elise, are afraid to tell him of their romantic attachments: Cléante has fallen in love with the beautiful but penniless Mariane, who lives with her invalid mother, and Elise has secretly promised to wed Valère, a young charmer of unknown parentage who has flattered his way into being Harpagon’s chief steward. When Harpagon reveals his own marital designs—he will wed Mariane himself and yoke Elise to the wealthy but aged Seigneur Anselme—children, suitors, disgruntled servants, and the wily Jill-of-all-trades Frosine conspire to foil the miser before the marriages can take place. When Harpagon’s treasure, buried in the backyard, is stolen, he rounds up all the suspects and threatens torture and imprisonment. Only the last-minute arrival of Seigneur Anselme, bearing secrets of his own, can unite the proper couples and restore Harpagon to his one true love—a fortune in gold.

* Denotes a member of the Dramatists Guild, Inc.