Moliere In The Park's English Language World Premiere Of TARTUFFE OR THE HYPOCRITE Opens Tonight

Molière in the Park's English language world premiere of Molière's TARTUFFE OR THE HYPOCRITE opens tonight! Presented in partnership with Prospect Park Alliance and LeFrak Center at Lakeside, the play is reconstructed by Georges Forestier, translated by Maya Slater, and directed by Molière in the Park's Founding Artistic Director Lucie Tiberghien.

Presenting a never seen before "Tartuffe" seems unimaginable. Yet, that's what audiences will get a chance to see in Prospect Park this May when Molière in the Park stages the English language world premiere of Molière's original "Tartuffe," written in 1664, and immediately banned by the King of France.

Lost to history, this original play was reconstructed by Georges Forestier, a renowned French historian, through a process of historical genetics, and premiered at La Comédie Française in Paris in 2022. Now, it will be presented in English for the first time ever on the Molière in the Park stage. Join MIP for a more confrontational but just as hilarious TARTUFFE OR THE HYPOCRITE, censored and lost because it dared to expose the willful denialism and folly of extreme religiosity.

A bible-thumping slug enters the home of a puritan bug, mix in love, power, and fleshly fantasies by the hour, and call it Molière's original plug!

If ever a play, plumed back in the day, knew exactly with what we'd be dealing.

THIS tale by Molière, might be older fare, but the story's even more... revealing.

Lucie Tiberghien states, "I never thought I'd be able to say Molière in the Park is presenting a new play by Molière. Yet this is what we're doing, at a time when the two factors that led to the banning and disappearance of the original script have re-emerged in the U.S. with furious energy: censorship, and willful denialism. Theater for all, as free entertainment, as a catalyst for empathy in our communities and as a conduit for political and social discourse is what we set out to offer when founding Molière in the Park. This English language world premiere, penned 359 years ago, gives us a distinct and immediate chance at providing all 3; an exciting AND terrifying prospect because... how exactly have we evolved in those 359 years?"

The cast includes Matthew Rauch (Junk on Broadway, Amazon's "The Terminal List," HBO's "Banshee") as Tartuffe, Michelle Veintimilla (The Visit on Broadway, ABC's "The Baker and the Beauty," Which Way to the Stage at MCC) as Elmire, Kim Awon (Salome at Two River Theater), Kaliswa Brewster (Showtime's "Billions," HBO's Paterno, MIP's virtual Tartuffe), Yonatan Gebeyehu (Merchant of Venice & Timon of Athens with TFANA, Persuasion with Bedlam), Thijs Hogenboom, Keshav Moodliar (Queen with Long Wharf/NAATCO, Apple TV's "Extrapolations") and Luis Vega (The Humans national tour, The Underlying Chris at Second Stage, Tell Hector I Miss Him at Atlantic Theater).

Produced by MIP Co-Founding Executive Producer Garth Belcon. The production team includes three-time Emmy Award nominee Paul Brill (Composer), Alex Jourdan (Set Design), Stoli Stolnack (Lighting Design), Jessica Irvin (Costume Design) and Madison Lane (Production Stage Manager).

TARTUFFE OR THE HYPOCRITE runs through May 27, 2023 in a limited engagement at Prospect Park's LeFrak Center in Brooklyn. Enter at 171 East Drive between Ocean Avenue and Lincoln Road.

All evening performances are at 8pm. Post-show Q&A's with the artists follow matinee performances on May 17, 18, 23 and 24. Running time is approximately 80 minutes. Tickets are free. Schedule varies - for exact days and times, and to reserve seats, visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/tartuffe-or-the-hypocrite-an-english-language-world-premiere-tickets-586385804727.

The mission of Molière in the Park (MIP) is to foster empathy and unity within the diverse communities in Brooklyn through the arts. They offer free opportunities for all to come together in Prospect Park and experience the benefits of theater. MIP's vision is of a Brooklyn where all communities can benefit equally from access to theater and the arts. Molière in the Park is an inclusive and antiracist theater organization, and their casting, hiring, and programming decisions reflect these values. For info visit https://www.moliereinthepark.org.

Photo credit: Russ Rowland

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