REVIEW: The Miser
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| By
Lucy Beirne
The Miser sees the West End debut for Lee Mack, who stars in Moliere’s play alongside Matthew Horne and Griff Rhys Jones in the title, penny-pinching, role of Harpagon.
The play follows Harpagon (Rhys Jones) as he tries to control his children by pairing them off into frugal marriages. Needless to say, each marriage is as inappropriate, and ill received by the children, as the next. As the play unravels, the children (along with other bawdy cast members) do everything within their power to stop these marriages, no clownish gag spared. Unfortunately, many of these gags fall flat as they do not hit the mark.
The Lee Mack fans are in comic heaven, watching Mack strut around the stage and interact with audience members in an ‘off the mark’ manner. Matt Horne is charming as he stumbles across the stage as the unfortunate, painfully obedient, butler Valere. As no stranger to comedy, his timing and delivery throughout is excellent.
The play is peppered with ensemble, light-hearted songs, which are well received. The show is stolen by costume designer Alice Power, whose exquisite costumes are not only eye-catching but visually addictive.
Crazy, catastrophic and clownish… this show has all the foundations to be a roaring hit, but due to a few technical issues and the combination of contemporary one-liners and Moliere’s original text, it doesn’t hit the spot yet.