“How I deplore the bogus waysOf society these days -A sort of national contestTo find out who can a*se-lick best!”In this witty cutting version of Le Misanthrope Molière’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