“Beauty without intelligence is like a hook without bait.” Molière, Tartuffe
Theatre enthusiasts will want to sink their hooks into Mercury Players’ latest production of Molière’s comedy Tartuffe that will run from Feb. 29 to March 10 inside the Heritage Hall at Duncan United Church. Under the direction of president Rien Vesseur a cast of 12 bring this tongue in cheek classic to life.
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Vesseur has been a member of the Mercury Players for the past 10 years and has directed eight plays to date with Tempting Providence being one of his fondest memories along with Kiss the Moon, Kiss the Sun, Anatomy of Grey and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.
“I stumbled onto Tartuffe when I was looking for classical plays that we do not have to pay performance rights for,” said Vesseur. “Performance rights for a play can cost up to $1,500, which is quite a chunk out of our usual budget of approximately $6,000 for a play production. There are many excellent plays in the public domain because their author died decades ago, one them being Molière. I immediately liked Tartuffe because the humour is so surprisingly fresh and the concept of a charlatan who abuses and uses charity for personal gain is still so current.”
Vesseur is pulling out all the stops with this satire that is written entirely in 12-syllable lines of rhyming couplets. This version of the great classic comedy is translated by Ranjit Boltit.
It should be noted that both contemporary French and English use the word ‘tartuffe’ to designate a hypocrite who ostensibly and exaggeratedly feigns virtue, especially religious virtue. The great 17th-century French satirist Molière performed his first version of Tartuffe which is also his most famous work, in 1664. This tale truly highlights the art of the scam when a lecherous conman pretends to be a pious spiritual adviser. Orgon’s family is up in arms because Orgon (Rob Foell) and his mother Madame Pernelle (Chris Johnson) have fallen under the influence of the charlatan Tartuffe (Adrian Ingham). Orgon and his mother who are quite smitten with Tartuffe no longer take any action without first consulting him. Tartuffe’s antics do not fool the rest of the family or their friends; they detest him. Orgon raises the stakes when he announces that Tartuffe will marry Orgon’s daughter Mariane (Sarah Chapeskie) who is already engaged to Valère (Raine Edgar). Meanwhile Tartuffe has also been making eyes and moves on Orgon’s wife Elmire (Sarah Kate Knight). The plot becomes even more involved as it scampers to its surprising conclusion.
“The best part about directing actors is getting into the creative zone together,” said Vesseur. “When the ideas are freely shared during a rehearsal and we can actually ‘play’ as a team, you stop noticing how time passes. One person’s suggestion leads to another, then to another and suddenly the scene comes to life. The collaborative approach is absolutely the best. The cast of Tartuffe have been such a joy to work with and everyone appeared to be having fun. It shows in the excellent result: an engaging, hilarious performance.”
Deeper questions such as ‘What does it mean to be good?’ are carefully packaged into a delightful farce with plenty of laugh-out-loud moments, a charming and quirky love story and some tense moments for the entire Orgon family, the Players promise. The elephant in the room is will he see the light, and if so, will it be too late?
This French satirical comedy hits the church stage for opening night on Feb. 29 at 7:30 p.m. There will also be evening shows on March 1, 7, and 8, with 2:30 p.m. matinee performances on March 2, 3, 9, and 10. Tickets are $25 or $20 for both students and seniors, and there will be a special for opening night only with two tickets for $35. They are available to purchase at either Ten Old Books or online at www.mercuryplayers.org.
“I hope we are doing the Mercury Players proud by putting on a show that is a class above common community theatre fare,” said Vesseur. “The brilliant script, the fantastic hand-made costumes, the lovely set and the top performances by the cast will hopefully show our audiences that we don’t take their interest for granted and that the performing arts in the Cowichan Valley are alive and well. Secondly, one always hopes that immersing an audience emotionally into another era and culture entertains and sharpens the wit, but also that it engenders understanding of the human condition and tolerance toward those of another persuasion.”