There’s nothing like religion to create dissonance and – if you’re as good a writer as Molière - hilarity.
North Coast Repertory Theatre capitalizes on this fact in its wonderfully funny version of Molière’s “Tartuffe,” which plays through April 7.
NCRT doesn’t fool around. They got Richard Baird to direct Richard Wilbur’s translation of the play, and you can’t get better than that. Baird knows about timing and how to get the most laughs per line.
The setting is 16th century France, in the house of Orgon (Bo Foxworth) and his wife Elmire (Melanie Lora*). The two of them have a few daughters, one of whom is Mariane (Shanté DeLoach), who is in love with Valere (Jared Van Heel*). The feeling is mutual, and they are about to make wedding plans when we meet Tartuffe (Bruce Turk*), a useless, greedy phony who has managed to impress Orgon and intends to make it with Mariane (to her horror). But her disdain doesn’t stop Tartuffe; he continues to stay in Orgon’a good graces with his phony version of piety.
The play offers many laughs, and the theater offers more with great costumes (by Elisa Benzoni), sets by Marty Burnett and acting by the whole cast. And don’t forget that the word tartuffe means “truffle,” but here it’s not the chocolate kind. Here it’s a hypocrite who feigns virtue, especially religious virtue, and this is a play that plays with everything and makes fun of just about everyone.
But it’s Bruce Turk as Tartuffe who’ll have you laughing all the way home.
“Tartuffe” wasn’t censored after one show for nothing. Don’t miss this production.
The details
Molière’s Tartuffe plays through April 7, 2024 at North Coast Repertory Theatre, 987 Lomas Santa Fe Drive, Suite D, Solana Beach.
Shows Wednesday and Thursday at 7 p.m.; Friday at 8 p.m.; Saturday at 2 and 8 p.m.; Sunday at 2 and 7 p.m.
Tickets: (858) 481-1055 or NorthCoastRep.org
* denotes a member of Actors’ Equity
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