The Misanthrope at the National Theatre

Playwright Martin Crimp clearly has a passion for Molière’s 17^th-century text, as this is his third adaptation of the farcical comedy, The Misanthrope. Originally updating it in 1996, and again in 2009, in which Keira Knightley and Damian Lewis starred, Crimp now replaces the French Aristocrat with a gender-swapped Booker Prize-winning novelist, Killing Eve star, Sandra Oh.

Directed by Indhu Rubasingham, “Alceste” is now “Alice”, an outspoken novelist. Alice detests people-pleasers and displays open contempt for false social niceties, but her disdain for modern society comes at a cost. “I don’t pussyfoot”, she repeats, whether in reference to a fleeting social interaction or her controversial statements, which threaten to jeopardise her prestigious upcoming award: our protagonist believes that “lying of any kind is ugly” and sees it as a moral duty to tell the truth, regardless of the consequences. Updated for today’s world of social media and cancel culture, the show is full of references to feminism, controversial political leaders and nepo-babies.

Oh is hilarious in her character’s brutal honesty, which is entertainingly put to the test when an insufferable young influencer presents an extract of her new book, replete with every cliché under the sun. The play’s dialogue is entirely in rhyming verse, giving it a poeticism that is very impressively delivered by its strong cast. While the distinctive creative choice is occasionally distracting, it is incredibly skilled writing.

Paul Chahidi is superb as Alice’s loyal playwright friend, John, who warns her about the dangers of complete authenticity, telling her that “free speech is poison”. There are abundant metatheatrical and self-referential jokes, with John’s character at one point even dressing up as Molière. The set and costume design by Robert Jones are standout elements, as towards the end of the performance, the hotel interior is replaced by dozens of chandeliers that float down against an expansive black backdrop. An initial laugh-out-loud social commentary takes a bizarre, albeit intriguing turn, as the cast dances onto the stage wearing Baroque attire in a surreal sequence.

For a play about the contempt for false pleasantries, it would be inauthentic to call The Misanthrope a masterpiece. After a very strong start, the play loses its way in the latter half, sacrificing its satirical bite in favour of an uneven relationship drama between Alice and her self-obsessed younger lover Stefan (Tom Mison), and his ex-wife Elaine (Jemima Rooper). Nevertheless, this latest iteration is a witty and fresh update to the classic text, making a strong London stage debut for its female lead.