Jean-Baptiste Poquelin Moliere (1622-73), the French actor-manager and dramatist, was one of the theatre's greatest comic classics. Inspired by traditions of French farce and the 'commedia dell'arte', he courted controversy with his satiric commentaries on the society of his time and on eternal human foibles, but was saved by the patronage of the 'Sun King' Louis XIV. Hull-born Richard Bean is one of the Britain's most exciting and prolific playwrights. Between 1989 and 1994 he worked as a stand-up comedian and went on to be one of the writers and performers of the sketch show Control Group Six (BBC Radio), which was nominated for a Writers Guild Award. His first full length play, Of Rats and Men was staged at the Canal Cafe and went on to Edinburgh. He adapted it for radio for the BBC and it was nominated for a Sony Award. His breakthrough play Toast found critical acclaim at the Royal Court Theatre in 1999. He has won the George Devine Award 2002 for Under the Whaleback, the 2004 Pearson Play of the Year Award for Honeymoon Suite and the Critics' Circle Award for Best New Play 2005 for Harvest. Oberon Books publishes his Plays One, Plays Two, Plays Three, England People Very Nice, London Assurance, The English Game, In the Club, The Big Fellah, The Heretic and his stage version of David Mamet's House of Games. He has also translated and adapted Moliere's The Misanthrope, published as The Hypochondriac, and Le Pub! by Serge Valleti. His new play One Man, Two Guvnors, based on The Servant of Two Masters by Carlo Goldoni, premiered at The National Theatre in May 2011, to a string of five star reviews, before transferring to the West End, then Broadway, after which it will return to the West End, later in 2012. One Man, Two Guvnors has also recently won the Critic's Circle and Evening Standard awards for Best New Play.
