The Misanthrope

A new classic by Jens Ohlin and Hannes Meidal, featuring Claes Månsson in the role of an abnormally weak-willed king.

Deep down, nobody likes people. Humans are fearful, cruel, and astonishingly stupid - and that's why everything is going to hell. Everyone knows it. So why not tell the truth? Yet there are those who see glimmers of light in the darkness, who perceive the unique and beautiful in every individual, who tirelessly hold the torch of hope high. And they are the worst of all: the liars.

That's what the court jester Alceste thinks - but of course he's alone in this view. At court, people busy themselves with illuminating the world and including everyone. Around him, platitudes about values rain down, in rhyme, and everyone pretends to be better than they are. One day Alceste will speak his mind and tell the truth. What's the worst that could happen?

Drawing on Molière's classic, Ohlin and Meidal create their own universe with a grotesque cast of characters and crowd-pleasing musical numbers. The Misanthrope is an idiotic comedy full of hope, written in rhyming verse, about the importance of at least pretending to be better than we are. The duo has previously staged, among other works, (Macbeth) at Dramatens Stora scen and Fanny and Alexander at Teater Galeasen, and in 2017 received both the Thaliapris award from Svenska Dagbladet and the theatre prize from Svenska teaterkritikers förening for their reinterpretation of Hamlet at Teater Galeasen.