The grouch

""How I deplore the bogus ways Of society these days - A sort of national contest To find out who can a*se-lick best!" In this witty cutting version of Le Misanthrope Moliere's angry hero Alceste becomes Alan - journalist, intellectual and free spirit- who finds himself adrift in a social whirl of false flattery and schmooze.

In a world where nobody calls a spade a spade (or even knows what a spade is for), how can the cantankerous but high-minded Alan secure the affections of Celia - a spoiled, feckless, fickle socialite, who happens to be the love of his life? The Grouch was first performed at West Yorkshire Playhouse in February 2008"