Tartuffe: A Comedy That Survived The Ages

Tartuffe, one of the 31 plays written by Moliere, was a classic in all regards. 

Before I worked tech on this show, I never knew what it was about. I was completely in the dark until I finally watched it. I was shocked, speechless, and amused thoroughly by the play. It was well put together and the set was amazing. On top of that, it was really funny considering it was written in the late 1600s. 

Thanks to the amazing cast of this show, as well as the amazing director, the show was positively filled with life.

The Outstanding Randall Duk Kim

The director of this show was Randall Duk Kim. 

A few of Randall Duk Kim’s credits are Master Oogway from Kung Fu Panda, the key-maker from The Matrix franchise, as well as Wan Shi Tong from the Avatar, The Last Airbender live action series. 

Randall not only directed Tartuffe, he also played one of the leading roles: Orgon. 

Randall did an especially great job on the acting in the show. You could tell that while Randall was on stage he was just having a good time while acting. I especially enjoyed his line, “I have long suspected you!”, just after he discovered that Tartuffe wasn’t the pious man he thought. The chemistry between him and the cast was absolutely bubbling on stage. 

Randall's directing was also rather amazing. The actors clearly knew what they were doing thanks to Randall's direction.

Favorite Scenes

One of my personal favorite scenes from the beginning of the play was actually the opening scene itself. It provided the audience with enough information to figure out what was going on within the first couple of minutes. It also showed that the show is in fact a comedy. 

I personally enjoyed Colleen Smith Wallnau’s portrayal of Madame Pernelle. She absolutely nailed the self-righteous grandmother character. Also, the clear friction between Pernelle and the rest of the family was hilarious.

During the middle of the play I must say my favorite scene was when Damis was hiding inside an armoire, eavesdropping on Tartuffe’s and Elmire’s conversation. Nick Bettens was phenomenal as Damis. He embodied Damis’s impatience to deal with Tartuffe very well. On top of that there was the part where Damis burst out of the armoire to confront Tartuffe. 

However there was a part where James Brandes’s Nick’s stand-by, had to go on. I was a little nervous, but James absolutely blew me away. I was not expecting for James to gracefully leap into the armoire, which really added to the comedy of that specific showing.

I also enjoyed the conversation between Tartuffe and Elmire. It showed what kind of man Tartuffe was, and Carl Wallnau executed the character perfectly. I enjoyed how sly Carl’s portrayal of Tartuffe was, it seemed like he always had a plan up his sleeve. 

It was also amazing to see Carl switch between a self-centered adulterer to a selfless pious man. 

Diana Cherkas also really added a sense of disbelief to the scene. She conveyed the feeling of, “Oh my God, this guy is really hitting on me!” in a convincing way. 

Then at the end when Damis jumps out of the Armoire, shocking both Tartuffe and Elmire, was absolutely amazing. The pure surprise and fear out of both Carl and Diana looked quite believable.

The end of the play I felt was the funniest part of the entire play. I particularly enjoyed the scene with Monsieur Loyal. Mark Carovale portrayed the character well. I was amused by how he was trying to seem like he was on the family’s side when really he was on Tartuffe's side. 

One line I enjoyed was, “Please, let there be no friction, it is merely an order of eviction.” The line is pure comedy especially in the way Mark said it. He said it in such a nonchalant way, like he was just giving friendly news. 

Final Thoughts

Pacing

I feel like the end of the play was rushed. The ending just feels like everything was quickly shoved out of the way. Also, I did not understand the random inclusion of the reference to King Louis. I felt that it was just out of place in the entire plot, though it is important to keep in mind that that decision was Moliere’s. 

I still believe the play itself was phenomenal.

Tech

The technical side of the show was amazing, the set especially. I was thoroughly amazed with the historical accuracy of the house. The drama turg definitely did their research. I also enjoyed the lighting of the show itself.  It was intriguing that the lights accurately simulated the time of day. However, I wasn't the biggest fan about the light simulating the opening and closing of the door. It was a bit too much.

Altogether

All in all the show was more than amazing, it was spectacular. The cast was perfect, the direction was spot on, and the technical aspects were phenomenal. Randall Duk Kim and Annie Occhiogrosso outdid themselves in this production. They definitely brought their idea of the show to life. It was an amazing experience to watch a classic comedy that still holds up to this day. Of course, there were some aspects of the show that could have been better, but live theater isn’t about perfection. It is about conveying stories that connect to people in different ways.