Tartuffe, ou l’Imposteur Adaptation Plays The Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum

Faith flies in the face of reason whenever the hypocrite is around! Ellen Geer directs her own adaptation of Molière's wickedly funny Tartuffe, featuring original songs composed by Geer, with lyrics by Peter Alsop and arranged by Cody Gillette. Tartuffe opens on June 11 at The Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum where it will continue to run in repertory through October 1 as part of Theatricum's "Outdoors & Inspired" Summer Repertory Season.

Tartuffe, ou l'Imposteur remains one of the funniest and most scathing commentaries on human greed and manipulation ever written. Considered by many to be his best work, Molière's rich comic genius is epitomized in the character of the 17th century con artist whose excessively culturEd Manners and religious devotion mask his true aim-to defraud a naïve gentleman, seduce his wife, marry his daughter, and steal the deed to an elegant estate. Today, the French word "tartuffe" symbolizes a hypocrite, or an affectEd Morality and exaggerated display of religious piety.

First presented in 1664 at the court of King Louis XIV at Versailles, Tartuffe was promptly condemned by the Catholic Church for its audacious attack on religious hypocrisy and banned from production. After much petitioning by the playwright, the ban was lifted and Tartuffe has stood the test of time, enduring as Molière's most popular play.

That's the part that Geer loves best. "At each performance, we'll have an audience member play King Louis," she laughs. "We'll crown him, and then Molière will start the play speaking his own words to the King. This puts the play in a context that's fun to know, namely that after Tartuffe was banned in 1667, the King granted Molière the right to produce it again. The play was, and is to this day, an overwhelming success and one of Molière's most frequently performed."

Portraying Molière's colorful cast of characters are Theatricum company members Aaron Hendry in the title role, Ted Barton as Orgon, Joanna Bateman as Marianne, Daniel Billet as Damis, Alan Blumenfeld as Cleante, Misha Bouvion as Elmire, Bill Durham as M. Loyal, Liz Eldridge as Flipote, Willow Geer as Dorine, Katherine Griffith as Madam Pernelle, and Jackson McCord Thompson as Valere. Also in the ensemble are Sydney Blair, Kelly Derouin, Leah Gutentag, and William Reinbold.

Every Friday in September, audiences are invited to feast on a French Provençal buffet dinner in the theater's adjacent gardens at 6:30 pm, followed by an 8 pm performance. (Separate admission, or combination packages are available.)

Jean-Baptiste Poquelin de Molière (1622-1673), the son of a prosperous upholsterer, left home to become an actor in 1643. He co-founded the troupe known as the Illustre Theatre and toured the French provinces (1645-58), writing and acting in plays. After his troupe was established in a permanent theatre in Paris under the patronage of Louis XIV, he won acclaim at the court and among the bourgeois audiences for his comedy The Learned Young Ladies (1659). His other major plays included The School for Wives (1662), Tartuffe (1664; initially banned by religious authorities), The Misanthrope (1666), Amphytryo (1668), The Miser (1669), The Bourgeois Gentleman (1679), and The Imaginary Invalid (1673). Molière's plays compose a portrait of all levels of 17th Century French society and are marked by their good-humored and intelligent mockery of human vices, vanities, and follies. Despite his success as a writer, he never ceased to act and direct. Taken ill during a performance of The Imaginary Invalid, he died of a hemorrhage within a day and was denied a holy burial. Molière conceived of satire as a public mirror provoking dynamic exchanges with the social classes of the era who were obsessed with their own images and enraged by his accurate depictions. He is considered the greatest French dramatist and the father of modern French comedy.

The Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum is located at 1419 North Topanga Canyon Blvd. in Topanga, midway between Malibu and the San Fernando Valley. For tickets and a complete schedule of performances, go to www.theatricum.com or call 310-455-3723 after May 24.

To post a comment, you must register and login.