Taproot Theatre Company in Seattle has kicked off their 2012 season with an old play. A really old play. Say mid 1600’s old. “Tartuffe,” (pronounced “Tar-toof”), a satire written by Moliere, was quite controversial at the time. The play scandalized many of Moliere’s contemporaries and was banned in 1666, but not for what you might think.
Tartuffe is a con man posing as a “man of God who has somehow managed his way into the home of Orgon and his family. Orgon believes that having a “holy man” in his house will help make his family more holy as well. This was apparently a fairly common occurrence during the time and Moliere was essentially making fun of anyone who would allow themselves to be fooled by someone of false piety.
Taproot’s version of “Tartuffe” was translated from French into English verse by Richard Wilbur. The end result is sort of like reading a Dr. Seuss book for adults. Though every line is written in rhyme, there are not all necessarily spoken as such. Still, if you’re not a fan of reading greeting cards, this play may not be for you.
Taproot’s play centers on Orgon and his family. Everyone in the family seems to know that Tartuffe is a Charlatan, except for Orgon (Brilliantly played by Don Brady) and his mother, Madame Pernelle (Ruth McRee). They scold the others for not listening to the wisdom of Tartuffe (Frank Lawler). But instead of teaching the family how to be holy, Tartuffe spends a little too much time with Orgon’s wife, Elmire (Jesse Notehelfer).
Orgon is so enchanted with Tartuffe; he plans to give the hand of his young daughter, Mariane (Charissa Adams) in marriage against her wishes. She’s a typical teenager who is overly dramatic. Her boyfriend, Valere, (Nathan Jeffrey), must have been the GQ man of his time wants to act tough but clearly isn’t. Her brother, Damis (Solomon Davis), makes up for his short stature by his reliance of his sword.
The only smart one of the bunch is the lowly maid, Dorine (Charity Parenzini) who is bound and determined to be heard even if it costs her job.
Due to language and the speed at which the lines are recited, “Tartuffe” is a little hard to follow at times, but stick with it. The funniest scene is when Orgon’s wife convinces him to hide while she pretends to seduce Tartuffe and Orgon takes forever to respond! The costumes, designed by Sarah Burch Gordon, are wonderful. The entire play is sunny and bright that you can’t help but have fun and hopefully learn that piousness is not next to godliness.
“Tartuffe” is playing at the Taproot Theatre Company now until March 3. Performances are held Wednesdays and Thursdays at 7:30 p.m., Friday and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Saturday matinees are held at 2 p.m. Ticket range from $15 (Ages 25 and under) to $37. They can be ordered online or by calling the box office at 206.781.9708. The theatre is located at 204 North 85th Street in Seattle 98103.
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