The Miser raises the roof in London

It took 459 years, but The Miser by Dubrovnik’s most treasured author Marin Držić was presented for the first time in London. The Miser is a classic comedy written in Dubrovnik in 1554 and considered one of Držić’s greatest works. The Dubrovnik Shakespeare Festival assembled fourteen actors for a staged reading of a modern English version translated by Michael Lederer, the Artistic Director of DSF.“Drzic is often referred to as the “Croatian Shakespeare,” commented Lederer. “And those two writers' lives intersected for three years. Little Shakespeare was just three years old when Drzic died. And while Shakespeare of course is a household name throughout the world, still the name Drzic is little known outside his native Croatia,” added Lederer.This was the first time that The Miser has been performed in London, “the eyes of the theatre world are on London,” said Lederer, adding that he hoped that Držić would now start to be recognised outside of his native Croatia. “Every writer aspires to be a writer for all the world, and Marin Drzic would be no exception,” concluded Lederer.The reading of The Miser took place at the Poetry Café in London’s Covent Garden on the 21st of June and was very well received by a packed audience.