Title: “The Miser” by Molière
Author of the adaptation: Manuel Martínez
4 characters:
- FERNANDO: A wealthy 60 year old man, lives in a large house with his steward and his housekeeper with whom he is in love. Protagonist of the play
- STEWARD- 35 year old man, friend of Fernando, in love with the housekeeper. He can’t find a way to tell his boss that he is dating her.
- HOUSEKEEPER- 30 year old woman, works for Fernando and knows of his love for her. She is in love with the steward with whom she has an idyll of love.
- VICTOR- 33 year old man, son of Fernando. In love with a humble young woman, Victor does not know how to return to his father the money he has stolen to buy a ring.
Act I
A large house Fernando’s office. It is the day of Fernando’s birthday, in his house are gathered his friends, his son, a housekeeper, a steward and the rest of the guests.
Fernando talks with the steward, while the music from the other side of the door sounds far away.
FERNANDO: My dear Philip (steward), today I dreamt about her again.
STEWARD: Again?
FERNANDO: As you can hear, again I dreamed of her warm skin, of caressing her hair again, I can almost feel it in my fingers just remembering it.
STEWARD: Sir, you should go out and distract yourself. Many friends have come to see you, it’s your birthday party.
FERNANDO: Friends? They’ve all come because they’ve been invited to a party. A party that I’m giving and that has cost me a lot of money. So I wouldn’t say friends, more like interested parties.
STEWARD: Well, but your son has also come to see you. Go out and take advantage of the fact that he’s coming to chat with him.
FERNANDO: My son has only come to introduce me to his girlfriend, a girl with no class and from an unknown family. Don’t rule out that she’ll end the night asking me for money.
STEWARD: Don’t get angry, Fernando. Excuse me, but I should go out and attend to the door and the guests.
The steward leaves the office. Fernando, pensive, gets up and looks behind a picture in a safe, where when he opens it there is nothing.
FERNANDO: My money, where is my money, thieves, thieves! I have a thief in my own house.
Act II
The steward’s room. The housekeeper waits nervously sitting on the bed. The door opens and the steward enters. Seeing him, she rushes to embrace him.
HOUSEKEEPER: My love, have you told him yet?
The steward shakes his head.
STEWARD: It wasn’t the right time. He’s in a foul mood today, even on his birthday he’s not in a good mood.
HOUSEKEEPER: Well, there’ll be another time.
STEWARD: Yes, but I can’t leave this be much longer, he told me he dreamt about you again. I can’t stand it.
She hugs him.
HOUSEKEEPER: You have to hold on, my love. You know I only have eyes for you. If you don’t tell him and he finds out from others, he’ll kick us out of the house and we can’t both lose our jobs.
STEWARD: You’re right.
HOUSEKEEPER: I have to go. They’re probably waiting for me in the kitchen.
The Housekeeper leaves the room. The Steward sits in a chair, when someone knocks at the door. He gets up and opens it. Fernando’s son Victor appears in the doorway.
STEWARD: Tell me, Mr. Victor, what do you want?
VICTOR: I need to talk to you.
Victor enters the room.
VICTOR: You are my father’s best friend, well, his only friend, apart from being his employee. And I need you to talk to him.
STEWARD: As much as a friend… But tell me, if you think I can help you, what do you want me to tell him?
VICTOR: I’ve done something terrible and I don’t know how to tell him. Victor lifts up a bag, inside it he carries several bundles of bills.
STEWARD: But is that your father’s money?
Victor nods his head.
VICTOR: I need you to tell him, I took the money from him, because I wanted to buy Elsa a nice ring to ask her to marry me. But I regretted it.
The steward collapses and sits on the bed.
VICTOR: What’s the matter with him?
STEWARD: Well, I also need to tell your father something and I don’t know how to do it.
Act III
Fernando enters the hall of the party, the voices of the guests are heard around him.
FERNANDO: Who did it, who did it, my money. All my money. Nobody’s going to leave here until the money shows up. I know it was someone from here.
The steward approaches Fernando.
STEWARD: Sir, I have to talk to you.
FERNANDO: Tell me Fernando, do you know anything about the robbery? Tell me who it was, here in front of everybody. Let it be known who did it.
STEWARD: Sir, I think we should talk in private first.
FERNANDO: Philip, don’t tell me that you had something to do with it, if not, tell me quickly who it was, otherwise I’ll know that you had something to do with it.
STEWARD: Sir, it’s nothing like that.
FERNANDO: Tell me!
STEWARD: I know where your money is.
Fernando rushes at the steward.
FERNANDO: Well, tell me right now where it is and who has it.
STEWARD: That’s why I have to talk to you in private.
FERNANDO: If you don’t tell me immediately you are fired, and I will call the police to arrest you for the theft.
The Housekeeper enters the scene until he approaches the Steward.
HOUSEKEEPER: No, Mr. Fernando, he had nothing to do with it, I assure you. He would never steal anything.
FERNANDO: You, you, my love.
Victor enters the room.
VICTOR: Wait a minute, Dad. They have nothing to do with it.
FERNANDO: Somebody tell me what’s going on here.
VICTOR: I took the money and asked Philip to talk to you because I didn’t dare.
FERNANDO: So…
Victor holds up the bag with the money in one hand.
VICTOR: I just wanted to buy a nice ring to propose to Elsa with. But I shouldn’t have taken the money. They had nothing to do with it.
Fernando quickly grabs the bag with the money to hug it.
FERNANDO: Don’t you ever come near my money again, my son. As for the rest, the party is over! Philip, Maria (Housekeeper) accompany the guests and gather everything, I’m going to count my money and hope that the full amount is there. By the way, tomorrow I want breakfast at 8 o’clock in the morning and don’t bother me anymore.
END