Television Reviews : British Production of ‘The Miser’ Airs Tonight

As the title character in the BBC/PBS production of Moliere’s “The Miser” (tonight at 8 on Channel 24, 9 p.m. on Channels 28 and 15), Nigel Hawthorne is reminiscent of Mel Brooks--with a case of high anxiety, no less. With his bulbous nose and beady eyes and frantic gait, Hawthorne paints a memorable portrait of a man possessed by greed.

The funniest scene in Michael Simpson’s staging is a crackling duet between Hawthorne and Janet Suzman as the matchmaker who’s trying to reassure him about his romantic potential. She tells him he’s “framed and dressed for love,” as the camera gives us a big close-up of a pathetic wreck.

Alan Drury’s translation is very down-to-earth, befitting a living-room theater, and Derek Dodd’s design has foregone French period frou-frou in favor of a more severe 1840s look, apparently intended--according to a press release--to evoke the world of Ebenezer Scrooge.

It does so without turning Moliere into Dickens. There are no shots of smokestacks or sweatshops, but the gloom is dark enough to make a miser feel right at home.

Besides Hawthorne and Suzman, a flock of wonderful British actors brings a wealth of comic savvy to the production. They’re especially good with the asides to the audience--or in this case, the camera. They don’t really need the aren’t-we-funny cues provided by Jim Parker’s intrusive score, but this is an otherwise satisfying show.