Taproot’s Tartuffe

I know that I’ve said this before, but there’s just something about live theatre. Something that no digital or electronic reproduction can match in terms of raw, up close and personal actors. Actors who are real people in real time. People who are performing, living, and breathing art, complete with all of its risks and rewards.

Of course, back in 1664, the year when Molière (a.k.a. Jean-Baptiste Poquelin) wrote and produced Tartuffe, they had no gadgets and gizmos, no video games and smart phones. They only had their wits, paper, pen and people. This play, written in French and translated into English verse by Richard Wilbur, is written entirely in rhyming couplets, which makes it very lyrical to listen to. The written play consists of 1,962 twelve-syllable lines called alexandrines. Tartuffe is one of Molière’s most well-known comedies, the name of which became known in both the French and English languages as the kind of hypocrite who hides his or her personal designs under a guise of virtue and piety, particularly of the religious sort. By seeking to improve humankind by education through comedy, this theme of hypocrisy is one that seems entrenched in humanity and that still exists today, over three centuries later.

However, at the time this play was performed – and aside from the fact that the play ends with all glory resting upon the King of France – King Louis XIV censored the play (which the religious, societal, and economic élite – the comedic focus of this play – no doubt thought to be best) so that the general public may not confuse virtue with vice wrapped in seemingly virtuous acts. Of course, making something taboo seems to only further its survival (which is good for those of us in the here and now, as it were). That and Molière lobbied the King to have him approve the play for public consumption in the end.

Last Friday, your Hedonista attended Tartuffe at Taproot Theatre and was thoroughly entertained. Each cast member was good at intensifying and exaggerating their respective character’s qualities and the foibles. Frank Lawler, who plays the perfect Tartuffe, was also most recently Booth in Taproot’s 2011 winter holiday production, Beasley’s Christmas Party. As a result, audience members can’t help but cheer for the young lovers, admonish the duped father, and despise the puppeteer Tartuffe. In sum, timeless themes make for timeless plays, and this one is no exception.

Tartuffe – the first play for the 2012 season – runs from February 3rd through to March 3rd, 2012. Tickets run from $22-$37 (depending on the performance), with $15 “25 and under” discounts available, as well as a $5 discount for students and seniors. Performances run Wednesdays through Saturdays.

So if you’re up for a comedic cautionary tale (especially post-V-Day), dear hedonists, then this play is worth checking out.

Note: In order to comply with FTC Act 16 C.F.R. 255, Heed the Hedonist would like to disclose that it does receive media “comps” and/or media discounts – but not in exchange for favorable coverage, or for withholding unfavorable overage, of the given venue/meal/performance/product/service.