Director Bob Hall pretty much sets the mood for the Flatwater Shakespeare Company’s production of “The Misanthrope” when the “melodic tones” of the Spike Jones Orchestra open the play’s performance.

As noted by Hall, the Flatwater effort is loosely adapted from the 17th century French comedy by Moliere.

Included in that adaptation is an advancing of the play’s time period to 2008, which results in contemporary costumes and expressions.

The presence of these modern elements coupled with the mouthing of the play’s script performed completely in rhyme establishes an incongruity that matches the zaniness of the mood set by the Spike Jones music.

Unnecessary hint — if you haven’t figured it out, this production is not classic Moliere.

But then, that isn’t necessarily what Hall seemed to be trying to stage.

Certainly the societal commentary on hypocrisy and the willingness of individuals to compromise their opinions for acceptance is still there.

The only possible problem in the Flatwater production is that with its emphasis on comedy, these social condemnations can be easily missed.

And those denunciations are just as important as the comedy. 

The critical and cynical painter Alceste (Fred Stuart), who attacks false civility, produces plenty of laughter from the audience. But the Alceste character is also one that should generate some compassion.

Alceste’s blunt and rude honesty is a laudable trait, but his rectitude also produces ridicule and rejection. Is he a hero or a victim?

In the Flatwater effort, his vulnerability is pretty much ignored.

Which isn’t to say that the production is a bad one.

Accepting the mood that director Hall has established for the play — a farcical extravaganza — the production satisfies the expectations.

Stuart is an accomplished performer, ably playing rage and anger, tempered with minute comedic touches, to achieve the needed persona.

His ire is often generated by the flirtatiousness of his love, Celimene (Andrea Swartz), whose dalliances confound him.

Add in Tom Crew as Alceste’s friend Philante, whose conciliatory placations allow him to exist within the confines of society, as well as other fine supporting local performers.

Dick Nielsen excels as the vain Oronte, a terribly poor wannabe poet, while Darein Hemmer and Brad Boesen exercise broad comedic portrayals of suitors for Celimene’s hand.

Completing the major supporting cast are Rebecca Key as Arsinoe, who desires Alceste but displays priggish puritanism and jealousy, and Julie Kinkennon as Celimene’s shy cousin Eliante.

The trio of Nielsen, Hemmer and Boesen provide such a quantity of laughable performances as to almost steal the show.

But Stuart’s bravado portrayal still dominates.

The continual rhyming script during the two-hour-plus production seemed to cause the delivery of more than a few fumbled and jumbled lines.

The comedy is played before a minimal set, with plain canvas drops covering the back of the stage as well as flanking the front.

The set pieces are presented in variations of basic blacks and whites, with three of the backdrops washed in colored lights.

The effect that is generated is one of the actors in the play seeming to almost step forth from an artist’s two-dimensional creation into a three-dimensional communication with the audience.

And perhaps that conflicting, yet  harmonizing message of distancing and connection is an element that director Hall was trying to achieve.

“The Misanthrope” is certainly a funny and enjoyable piece.  Perhaps some of the seriousness of its message is absent, but the essence still seems to be communicated.