{"product_id":"chatsky-miser-miser-two-plays-by-anthony-burgess","title":"Chatsky \u0026 Miser, Miser! Two Plays by Anthony Burgess","description":"\u003cp\u003eAnthony Burgess was an energetic writer and composer, whose work\u003cbr\u003e\nfor the stage is widely admired. In \u003cem\u003eTwo Plays\u003c\/em\u003e, we see him tackling\u003cbr\u003e\nmajor monuments of French and Russian theatre:\u003cem\u003e The Miser\u003c\/em\u003e by\u003cbr\u003e\nMolière and \u003cem\u003eChatsky\u003c\/em\u003e by Alexander Griboyedov.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eMiser, Miser!\u003c\/em\u003e is a bold reworking of Molière’s classic comedy of\u003cbr\u003e\n1668. Harpagon the miser is hoarding a pile of gold, which he has\u003cbr\u003e\nburied in his garden. As he tries to sell off his daughter, catch himself\u003cbr\u003e\na beautiful young bride and outwit his scheming household of clever\u003cbr\u003e\nservants, the comedy of errors intensifies.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAlthough the original French play is written in prose, Burgess\u003cbr\u003e\nremakes it in a mixture of verse and prose, in the style of his famous\u003cbr\u003e\nadaptation of \u003cem\u003eCyrano de Bergerac\u003c\/em\u003e. This translation, discovered in the\u003cbr\u003e\nauthor’s archive, is the work of a writer at the height of his powers,\u003cbr\u003e\nreinventing Molière for modern audiences.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eChatsky\u003c\/em\u003e, subtitled ‘The Importance of Being Stupid’ is another verse\u003cbr\u003e\ncomedy. The theme is that of the intellectual hero who rebels\u003cbr\u003e\nagainst the smug, philistine society in which he finds himself. First\u003cbr\u003e\nperformed in 1833, Griboyedov’s play was so heavily cut by Russian\u003cbr\u003e\ncensors that it was barely recognisable. The play is a virtuoso vehicle\u003cbr\u003e\nfor male actors, and the source of many famous quotations. It is\u003cbr\u003e\nalso notoriously difficult to translate. In \u003cem\u003eChatsky\u003c\/em\u003e, Burgess remakes a\u003cbr\u003e\nclassic Russian play in the spirit of Oscar Wilde. It is a great feast of\u003cbr\u003e\nlanguage and invective.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe complete texts of both plays are published here for the first time.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eTwo Plays\u003c\/em\u003e confirms Anthony Burgess’s reputation as a gifted writer\u003cbr\u003e\nfor the stage, and as a translator of great wit and sophistication.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nMISER, MISER! CASTING: 7 men, 3 women\u003cbr\u003e\nCHATSKY CASTING: 9 men, 7 women\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Salamander Street Limited","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54253558366552,"sku":"9781914228889","price":21.99,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0278\/1295\/4195\/files\/9781914228889.jpg?v=1765286138","url":"https:\/\/agendabookshop.com\/products\/chatsky-miser-miser-two-plays-by-anthony-burgess","provider":"Agenda Bookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}