Moliere’s venerable comedy, The School for Wives, which was first produced in 1662, gets a makeover in City Garage’s version of the play. Freshly translated by Frederique Michel and Charles Duncombe and performed in modern dress, this School doesn’t seem creaky at all; in fact its satirical attack on male chauvinism and arrogance has a special relevance these me-too days. Arnolphe (Bo Roberts) is an upper-class twit who has devised a plan to create the perfect wife, one that will shield him from the misfortunes of all other husbands whose wives are unfaithful. He has kept his youthful ward Agnes (Claire Pida) completely ignorant of the world by sequestering her in a nunnery. Now he intends to marry her and exploit what he believes will be an ideal marriage by teaching other men to follow his lead. In addition to being clueless about love and marriage, Arnolphe is also pretentious: he uses the pseudonym Monsieur de la Souche because he thinks it sounds aristocratic. Moliere, who probably invented the triangular construction in drama, brings in a third character, Horace (Buddy Brown), who comes on strongly to Agnes. The latter’s innocence and sweetness make her fall in love with the handsome but impoverished young fellow. Moliere also uses another favorite ploy of his—misconception—to complicate the plot. Because Agnes refers to Arnolphe as de la Souche, Horace does not realize that Arnolphe and Agnes’ aged suitor are the same, which explains why he confides in Arnolphe of his love for Agnes. The naïve Agnes also talks freely of her affair. Arnolphe tries to regain control, but to no avail. After many twists and turns in the plot, he learns this truth: that even young girls have minds of their own and should be treated with respect and dignity. He’s even more shocked to learn that human beings in general have a natural propensity for what is good in life—love, compassion and family—and any attempts to thwart these impulses are doomed to fail. City Garage’s eight-person cast deliver Moliere’s wordy but witty lines in expert fashion. They also bring their raffish characters to life in confident, colorful ways, aided by director Michel’s well-coordinated touches of slapstick and buffoonery.
