Canadian Stage has very wisely
staged a revival of the 2017 Stratford Festival production of Moliere’s Tartuffe.
For those who did not see it, a masterly and thoroughly enjoyable production
awaits them. For those who saw it, they get a repeat delight.
How is it done?
Let’s look at Chis Abrahams’s
directing. He does not so much direct the production as choreograph it. He sets a brisk pace right from the start and he
never lets it falter. Proper intonation and expression are essential but
Abraham wants more than that. He requires physical agility, body contortions
and movements that produce laughter over and above what is expected. His
attention to detail does not allow any opportunity for laughter to escape him. This
is simply masterly directing.
Members of the company. Photo: Cylla von Tiedemann
He has a lot of help from a
seriously talented cast.
Tom Rooney as Tartuffe is a man
of boundless phony piety and seething lust for sex and wealth. He is such an
extraordinary manipulator that he can tell the truth about himself, show
remorse at swatting a flea and be caught trying to seduce Orgon’s wife without
shaking the latter’s conviction of his piety. And Rooney is funny as he spouts
godliness and swills wine.
Graham Abbey’s Orgon is an
over-excited dupe who is willing to give his daughter, his wife and his
property to the charlatan. Abraham has Abbey run, rant, do pushups and become
frantic, all in successful attempts at evoking laughter.
Akosua Amo-Adem as the servant
Dorine grabs our attention and laughter from her first appearance and never
lets off. She is smart, she is mouthy and she is hilarious. Again, Abraham
creates additional comedy by choreographing body language by Amo-Adem that is
simply hilarious.
The love interest and youthful vigour
are provided by Mercedes Morris as Mariane, Johnathan Sousa as her betrothed
Valere and Emilio Vieira as her brother Damis. Michael Blake as Elmire’s
brother Cleante is the logical counterbalance to Orgon.
Rod Beattie has the minor role of
Monsieur Loyal, the sheriff who delivers the writ of possession for Orgon’s
house. His lines are those of a process server but Beattie manages to get a few
laughs even from them.
Maev Beatie as Elmire and Tom Rooney as Tartuffe. Photo: Cylla von Tiedemann
Maev Beaty is simply superb as
Elmire, the exasperated wife of the fool Orgon. She is highly alluring right
from her first entrance and we soon realize that Tartuffe is lusting after her.
She needs to rebuff him and then attract him in order to entrap him. The
entrapment scene is perhaps the funniest scene in the play as she dodges Tartuffe
and maintains his aroused interest in her.
Abraham uses Ranjit Bolt’s fluid 2002
rhyming verse translation of Tartuffe. Rhyming couplets can stick
to actors’ tongues and sound awkward to the audience. In this case the translation
propels the delivery of the couplets rather than hindering them. The pace is
set by Rosemary Dunsmore as Mme. Pernelle in the opening scene. Like most of
the characters, she has some long speeches but Dunsmore delivers her lines at a
good clip and we are delighted to hear her.
Abraham could not resist adding a
good number of references to current events and phrases from fake news, to make
our country great again, to #blessed, to unfollow me, to vegan to lock him up.
The production is done in modern
dress and set in present-day France judging by the music in the opening scene.
The set by Julie Fox consists of a modern living room with a bar area and
stairs leading to an upper floor.
_______________
Tartuffe by Moliere in a translation by Ranjit
Bolt played from January 13 to 27, 2019 at the Bluma Appel Theatre, St Lawrence
Centre for the Arts, 27 Front St E, Toronto, ON M5E 1B4. www.canadianstage.com
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