THE MISER, Directed by Robert T. Hazard

Here was Scrooge's real godfather, both in literature and on stage for me. Moliere borrowed the character from Plautus And surely Dickens knew of Harpagon. Bob Hazard used Miles Maleson's breezy slapstick adaptation and lost some of the reverence for the source we had applied to the hysterically formal production of Tartuffe Bob had directed a season or two before. The spirit of adaptation permeated the production. We even borrowed one of Plautus' speeches, adapted it heavily and added it to the discovery of the missing casket, milking the scene for all it was worth and more. .Bob wanted to have extra fun with this production, and when we senior MFA students got together and improvised a football game (!) for our audition for this show, Bob (miraculously) decided to incorporate it into the production. The scene changes (if memory serves) were done in the style we had found in the improv. It sounds bizarre, and it may have been, but it was--much like the original--an audience pleaser.

This was one of those Hilberry hits that was held over for a second year. Without me. I had the unique experience of getting to see a role I had created played (beautifully) by someone else. Michael Rothaar took over Harpagon in the second season. The night I returned, I didn't let anyone know (except Harper Jane) know that I was going to be in the house. There was a lovely piece of business during the scene in which Harpagon discovers that his "casket" full of money is missing when Harpagon goes into the house and improvises some nonsense with various members of the audience, accusing some of being the thief, of hiding something, begging them for help etc. When Michael spotted me (Phil Fox had put me on the aisle), he looked startled for an instant, and then said, without hesitation, "Dad!" And inspired moment. I knew Michael would make it. I saw his son playing the smartass grandson in the television production of On Golden Pond with Christopher Plummer and Julie Andrews.