‘Moliere’ Becomes a Tedious Exercise

Near the program’s end, when one of the characters cried, “The performance cannot be completed” because Moliere (Peter Zapp) has collapsed--and another answered, “Then give us our money back”--it was surprising that the audience didn’t stand up and applaud. It may have been Moliere’s death scene, but the play itself died long ago.

California Repertory Company’s Studio Theatre production of Mikhail Bulgakov’s “Moliere” features a stunning set by Danila Korogodsky, but the production is tedious and bound to insult Moliere fans.

Writing in 1929, Bulgakov attempted to draw parallels between his suppression under Stalin and Moliere’s persecution by political and religious factions during the reign of King Louis XIV (Patric Taylor). Korogodsky’s minimalist set with a tall, lifeguard chair-like throne suggests both the golden opulence of the Sun King and the perilous, prison-like conditions under Stalin. Yet the actors do not do it justice.

Lisa Johnson’s nicely detailed costume designs cover both time eras, as the characters casually slip in and out of centuries like nothing more than time zones. The characters seem just as casually established.

King Louis begins as the foppish fool and then inexplicably transforms into a man made of much sterner stuff--intelligent and hard-hearted. Moliere, the satirist who dared poke fun at the clergy with his “Tartuffe,” is played by Zapp as a buffoon--a groveling, sniveling, fumbling hero. It’s almost identical to his Niccolo Machiavelli from last year’s production of “The Prince.” While that portrayal worked fine, it fails utterly here.

The abstract choreography is almost laughable. Mark Weil has reduced Bulgakov’s work into a passionless, dreary exercise. Bulgakov and Moliere deserve better.

*

* “Moliere,” Cal Rep at Cal State Long Beach, Studio Theatre, 7th Street, Long Beach. Wednesdays, 6 p.m.; Thursdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Saturdays, 2 p.m. Ends Feb. 28. $15. (562) 985-7000. Running time: 2 hours, 15 minutes.