Brought to Durban by Alliance Française of Durban, the French Institute of South Africa, KZN Performing Arts Trust and the Durban University of Technology.
Penned by French playwright Moliere in 1664, Tartuffe is the story of an opportunist who inveigles himself into the home and lives of a wealthy French family. As he slowly seduces the head of the family, Orgon, into relinquishing all control of his family and fortune, chaos ensues in the household.
The family isn’t blind to the dastardly Tartuffe’s evil web that is slowly entrapping Orgon so they, led by housemaid Dorine, begin to mobilize a counter attack. Dorine, who keeps a cool head when others falter, orchestrates the rebellion against Tartuffe, leading to an absolute fiasco as they try and outwit the wily con artist.
So that’s the story in a nutshell. And like all good comedies, the ending is a both a happy and thought provoking one.
The central themes of hypocrisy, greed and lust transcend eras; leaving me with the uncomfortable realization that humans are proving to be distressingly slow at evolving into truly good and compassionate beings.
The dialogue is rhythmic, often reminding me of Roald Dahl’s work. ( Yes – amateur reviewers are allowed to make such daft observations ). I always search for a standout in a production and this time it is the choreographer who I believe shines with the unique manner in which his actors move on stage, including a ‘lunge’ like pose that they adopt to deliver their lines. This is especially well suited to the lanky Neil McCarthy,who plays Orgon.
You may think that a stage production of a 400 year story would make for a slow evening. In this case you will be happily wrong because multi award winning director Sylvaine Strike’s version is absolutely enthralling. Her Tartuffe is set in the early 20th century. The simple set is effective and cleverly manipulated. Lighting is excellent, giving the pastel colours of some of the costumes an ethereal glow and especially effective when it illuminates Tartuffe’s demonic visage. Powerful lighting of the final scene leaves the audience with no doubt about Moliere’s view of where Tartuffe and his ilk belong.
Joy and I thoroughly enjoyed the production and I highly recommend that you book seats for one of the 2 remaining shows.
Thanks to the ladies at Publicity Matters for another wonderful opportunity to see South African artist at work.
