Too Much Foppery Is Ruin of ‘Ridicules’

There’s much to ridicule in the bilingual Euro-Theatre’s overly precious, screechy presentation of Moliere’s satire “Les Precieuses Ridicules” at the Globe Playhouse.

Moliere intended this as a criticism of people putting on false airs--in this case, country bumpkins pretending to be Parisian sophisticates or, more generally, overly affected ladies.

The merchant Gorgibus (Jim Chevallier) introduces his daughter Magdelon (Lisa Forte) and her cousin Cathos (Nicole Berluson in the English version) to two gentlemen (Jean-Louis Darville and Olivier Caillaud) in hopes of making good marriage matches.

But the women reject their suitors with such rudeness that the men are moved to revenge. They send their valets disguised as viscounts to woo the women.

As director, Darville overplays the text, at least in the English version. With convoluted declarations such as “Carry just hither the commodities of conversation,” and pleas from the servant (Alexandra Courtois) for the so-called ladies to “talk Christian if you want me to understand you,” there is little need for the acting to go over-the-top.

Darville pushes his cast into such foolishness that anyone would have to be an idiot to mistake the characters’ snobbery for fine airs. This farce should be a delicate confection, not a headache of saccharine fopperies and fripperies.

* “Les Precieuses Ridicules,” Globe Playhouse, 1107 N. Kings Road, West Hollywood. French: Wednesdays-Fridays, 8 p.m. English: Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 3 and 8 p.m. Ends Dec. 13. $19. (323) 933-5664. Running time: 1 hour, 30 minutes.