Moliere‘s Tartuffe, a satire of religious zeal, contains some fairly dark moments. Motivated by lust and greed, a supposedly religious man worms his way into the heart of a patriarch, and begins to wreak havoc amongst the members of his family. Thankfully, Pumpkin Soup’s adaptation turnes the comic volume on Moliere’s script all the way up, making Tartuffe look set to be a light-hearted, hilarious delight come opening night.
This preview demonstrated superb casting and talented actors. Bria Thomas plays the astute housemaid Dorine with a jovial intelligence that commands the audience’s attention, and Joshua Wilce’s adorable rendition of the gullible stick-in-the-mud Orgon will make you want to hug and slap him at the same time. The titular Tartuffe is played by Tommy Siman to sinuous perfection; he slithers across the stage, flirting and prostrating with an obsequiousness that is fascinating to watch. Directors Fay Lomas and Benedict Nicholson have chosen a minimalist set with just a couple pieces of furniture, but the quality of their actors will be more than enough to keep everyone entertained.
Acting isn’t the only thing that this production has going for it. Careful direction by Lomas and Nicholson lends the entire play an airy, fluid feel. Scene transitions this slick and blocking this polished is rare for a preview of a production that has had only a little over a week to rehearse. Look out for a wonderful scene where Tartuffe attempts to seduce Orgon’s wife, Elmire (Alma Prelec). The action takes place around, on, and almost below a table, with Lomas and Nicholson utilising more dimensions of space than seems possible around such a tiny prop. The result is an extended, dialogue-filled scene which never becomes dull; each character has been instructed to move with purpose and does so with confidence.
I noted a few minor errors – some of the comic notes fall a little flat, and the cast seems a little uneven in terms of confidence when muttering asides, but I have no doubt that the directors will iron these wrinkles out by opening night. Come and see Tartuffe in 3rd week – I won’t be the one hiding under the table.
Tartuffe will be on at the Corpus Christi Auditorium, Corpus Christi College, in 3rd week.
