Chatsky & Miser, Miser! Two Plays by Anthony Burgess

Anthony Burgess was an energetic writer and composer, whose workfor the stage is widely admired. In Two Plays, we see him tacklingmajor monuments of French and Russian theatre: The Miser byMolière and Chatsky by Alexander Griboyedov.

Miser, Miser! is a bold reworking of Molière’s classic comedy of1668. Harpagon the miser is hoarding a pile of gold, which he hasburied in his garden. As he tries to sell off his daughter, catch himselfa beautiful young bride and outwit his scheming household of cleverservants, the comedy of errors intensifies.

Although the original French play is written in prose, Burgessremakes it in a mixture of verse and prose, in the style of his famousadaptation of Cyrano de Bergerac. This translation, discovered in theauthor’s archive, is the work of a writer at the height of his powers,reinventing Molière for modern audiences.

Chatsky, subtitled ‘The Importance of Being Stupid’ is another versecomedy. The theme is that of the intellectual hero who rebelsagainst the smug, philistine society in which he finds himself. Firstperformed in 1833, Griboyedov’s play was so heavily cut by Russiancensors that it was barely recognisable. The play is a virtuoso vehiclefor male actors, and the source of many famous quotations. It isalso notoriously difficult to translate. In Chatsky, Burgess remakes aclassic Russian play in the spirit of Oscar Wilde. It is a great feast oflanguage and invective.

The complete texts of both plays are published here for the first time.Two Plays confirms Anthony Burgess’s reputation as a gifted writerfor the stage, and as a translator of great wit and sophistication.

MISER, MISER! CASTING: 7 men, 3 womenCHATSKY CASTING: 9 men, 7 women