La Bête

A period style French farce with more than a nod to Molière, La Bête, played in rhyming couplets, alludes to both Molière’s own life and his comic masterpiece The Misanthrope. In a comic whirlwind of high style, David Hirson’s comedy tells the story of Elomire, a 17th century French playwright, and his touring acting troupe who have come to lead the high life due to the patronage of the fickle Prince of Conti. Sparks fly when Valere, a swaggering braggert with delusions of artistic grandeur, becomes the Prince’s choice to join Elomire’s troupe. It is a battle of wits and witticisms as the two face off in this outrageous commentary on the nature of art and the artist in society.