{"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 for the stage is widely admired. In Two Plays, we see him tackling\u003cbr\u003e major monuments of French and Russian theatre: The Miser by\u003cbr\u003e Molière and Chatsky by Alexander Griboyedov.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eMiser, Miser! is a bold reworking of Molière's classic comedy of\u003cbr\u003e 1668. Harpagon the miser is hoarding a pile of gold, which he has\u003cbr\u003e buried in his garden. As he tries to sell off his daughter, catch himself\u003cbr\u003e a beautiful young bride and outwit his scheming household of clever\u003cbr\u003e servants, the comedy of errors intensifies.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAlthough the original French play is written in prose, Burgess\u003cbr\u003e remakes it in a mixture of verse and prose, in the style of his famous\u003cbr\u003e adaptation of Cyrano de Bergerac. This translation, discovered in the\u003cbr\u003e author's archive, is the work of a writer at the height of his powers, \u003cbr\u003e reinventing Molière for modern audiences.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eChatsky, subtitled 'The Importance of Being Stupid' is another verse\u003cbr\u003e comedy. The theme is that of the intellectual hero who rebels\u003cbr\u003e against the smug, philistine society in which he finds himself. First\u003cbr\u003e performed in 1833, Griboyedov's play was so heavily cut by Russian\u003cbr\u003e censors that it was barely recognisable. The play is a virtuoso vehicle\u003cbr\u003e for male actors, and the source of many famous quotations. It is\u003cbr\u003e also notoriously difficult to translate. In Chatsky, Burgess remakes a\u003cbr\u003e classic Russian play in the spirit of Oscar Wilde. It is a great feast of\u003cbr\u003e language and invective.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe complete texts of both plays are published here for the first time.\u003cbr\u003e Two Plays confirms Anthony Burgess's reputation as a gifted writer\u003cbr\u003e for the stage, and as a translator of great wit and sophistication.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e MISER, MISER! CASTING: 7 men, 3 women\u003cbr\u003e CHATSKY CASTING: 9 men, 7 women\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"sb-details\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGenre:\u003c\/strong\u003e Drama, European\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFormat:\u003c\/strong\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublished:\u003c\/strong\u003e 2023\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 218\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/strong\u003e Salamander Street Limited\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eISBN:\u003c\/strong\u003e 9781914228889\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Salamander Street Limited","offers":[{"title":"Very Good — £2.54","offer_id":47919160459441,"sku":"SB-191422888X-C2","price":2.54,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0618\/2669\/5345\/files\/191422888X.jpg?v=1789694355","url":"https:\/\/sellbooks.co.uk\/products\/chatsky-miser-miser-two-plays-by-anthony-burgess","provider":"Sell Books .co.uk","version":"1.0","type":"link"}