Photo Flash: Inside Rehearsal for TARTUFFE at Theatre Royal Haymarket

Acclaimed film and television actor Paul Anderson will play the title role in Tartuffe at the Theatre Royal Haymarket, alongside celebrated stage and screen stars Audrey Fleurot, George Blagden, Sebastian Roché and Olivia Ross. In the West End's first ever dual-language production, Molière's classic comedy re-imagines Tartuffe as a radical American evangelist who uproots the life of a French film tycoon in Hollywood.

Tartuffe will premiere for a limited ten-week West End run at the Theatre Royal Haymarket from Friday 25th May 2018 (Press Night on Tuesday 29th May).

L.A. Present day. French media tycoon Orgon has fallen under the seductive spell of Tartuffe, a radical evangelist. So comprehensively has Tartuffe hoodwinked Orgon that he looks set to steal his fortune, drive away his son, seduce his wife and marry his daughter.

Paul Anderson will make his West End debut as Tartuffe, a duplicitous evangelist who holds Orgon's family under his seductive spell. As well as starring in the hit drama Peaky Blinders (BBC & Netflix) as Arthur Shelby, Paul Anderson has held leading roles in The Revenant (20th Century Fox), Legend (Working Title), In the Heart of the Sea (Warner Bros. Pictures) and Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (Warner Bros. Pictures). Paul Anderson will also appear as Guy of Gisborne in Leonardo DiCaprio's upcoming Robin Hood film (Summit Entertainment) later in 2018.

Audrey Fleurot will play Elmire, Orgon's wily wife who endeavours to avoid the beguiling effects of Tartuffe's charm. Audrey Fleurot's leading roles have included Joséphine Karlsson in the BAFTA nominated Spiral (Canal + / BBC), Magalie in the multi award-winning international hit film The Intouchables (Quad), Hortense in Un village français (Tétra Média) and as herself in Call My Agent! / Dix pour cent! (Netflix).

Sebastian Roché will make his West End stage debut as Orgon, a French media mogul living in Hollywood, who unwittingly becomes hoodwinked by Tartuffe. Sebastian's screen credits include the HBO series Young Pope alongside Jude Law, Man In The High Castle (Amazon) and The Vampire Diaries (The CW). His stage credits include Julie Taymor's Broadway production of The Green Bird (Mandell Weiss Theater) and Salome opposite Al Pacino (Square Theatre). He also co-stars in the upcoming second season of the Emmy and Golden Globe-nominated series Genius.

George Blagden joins the cast as Damis, Orgon's son. George's best-known roles to date have included Grantaire in the film adaptation of Les Misérables (Working Title Films), King Louis XIV in Versailles (BBC Two) and Athelstan in Vikings (Amazon), as well as roles in Black Mirror (Netflix) and Wrath of the Titans (Warner Bros. Pictures).

Olivia Ross plays Mariane, daughter of Orgon and sister of Damis. Olivia's screen credits to date include playing Mademoiselle Bourienne in War & Peace (BBC One) and Queen Joan in Knightfall (History), as well as stage performances in Blue Stockings, A Midsummer Night's Dream and Henry V (The Globe).

The full cast includes Paul Anderson as Tartuffe (Peaky Blinders, The Revenant), George Blagden as Damis (Versailles, Vikings), Nadia Cavelle as Flipote (Beautiful Damned, Antigone), Jaz Deol as Valère (The Halcyon, Code of a Killer), Sophie Duez as Eliante (Don Juan, Midsummer Night's Dream), Zachary Fall as The Officer (Poldark, Versailles), John Faulkner as Monsieur Loyal (Little Boy Blue, Mary Queen of Scots), Audrey Fleurot as Elmire (Spiral, The Intouchables), Paikan Garutti as Laurent (Songe d'une nuit d'été, Courteline), Annick Le Goff as Madame Pernelle (Le Petit Lieutenant), Claude Perron as Dorine (Amélie, Chrysalis), Sebastian Roché as Orgon (Man in the High Castle, Young Pope), Olivia Ross as Mariane (War & Peace, Shakespeare's Globe: A Midsummer Night's Dream) and Vincent Winterhalter as Cléante (Spiral, Nicolas Le Floch).

As befitting the Theatre Royal Haymarket, which was known to the play-going world as 'The New French Theatre' following it's opening in 1720, this adaptation of Tartuffe will alternate between English with French surtitles and French with English surtitles to reflect the unfolding plot. The production is supported by the Institut Français.

Written in 1664, Tartuffe, or The Impostor became regarded as one of Molière's most celebrated comedies, complete with some of the greatest classical theatre roles. Set present day in Donald Trump's America, the play's trenchant mockery of human frailties remains as relevant as ever in this darkly comic adaptation of the classic satire.

www.TartuffePlay.com

Photo Credit: Helen Maybanks