Tuesday 16 February 2010

A glimpse of London: Monday

One should examine oneself for a very long time before thinking of condemning others.

Moliere


London is a great, funny city, the Spanish guy thought, when he saw two lesbians (one of them Chinese and the other one Caucasian) kissing each other farewell by the tube station while an Italo-Indian couple greeted their Eastern European friends at the queue of a club. But the Spanish guy didn't have time for thoughts, it was snowing and he was late for the theatre where a lovely English girl was already waiting for him.

Thus the other Monday the Spanish guy saw Martin Crimp's version of Moliere's The Misanthrope at the Comedy Theatre, starring Damian Lewis and Keira Knightley. Whilst he still preferred the original French play, he approved this English attempt to adapt Moliere's comedy of manners to the contemporary world.

Being as we still are human beings displaying our unmistakable, unchangeable flaws, it's no surprise that there is such a resemblance between the 17th century French aristocratic society and today's Western celebrity society. Both seem so penetrated by the hypocrisy, shallowness and vanity of talentless, base celebs made famous by the media that one doesn't have to be a harsh, idealistic fool like Alceste to become disillusioned and angry with the whole mankind.

Keira, by the way, was all shoulders and squared angles and, though she played her role correctly, left the Spanish guy a tad cold and disappointed. He realised that he was very happy with the little English girl that clung on to his arm.

Love and freedom.

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