A preview of Moliere's Tartuffe presented by L.A. Theatre Works
About the play:
Initially banned in France by King Louis, Molière's
celebrated social satire Tartuffe exposes false piety
and hypocrisy in the Catholic Church. When a pious
fraud worms his way into a wealthy family and
manipulates the patriarch into giving up his fortune,
it's up to his family to expose the truth before they
end up in the poor house!
Six hilarious satires from the ingenious Molière,
France's original master of comedies:
The Bungler: In 17th Century Sicily, a clever valet
named Mascarille tries to help his boss Lélie win the
girl of his dreams...only to find that Lélie is a
monumental dunce who ruins every one of his intricate
schemes. Undaunted, Mascarille invents progressively
wilder plots, only to see his best-laid plans go very
awry. Performed by: Richard Easton, Adam Godley, Alan
Mandell, Christopher Neame, Paula Jane Newman, Darren
Richardson, John Sloan, Norman Snow and Kate Steele.
The Imaginary Cuckold: Brian Bedford stars as the
enraged husband who imagines his wife is unfaithful,
but becomes reluctant to defend his honor in this
grand farce of hysterical coincidences, frenzied
confusion and mistaken identities -- the most widely
performed Molière play in his lifetime. Performed by:
Brian Bedford, Dakin Matthews, Christopher Neame,
Moira Quirk, Darren Richardson, Carolyn Seymour, Alan
Shearman and Joanne Whalley.
The School for Husbands: Sganarelle, a tyrannical old
buffoon of a husband-to-be, seeks to isolate his
young ward, while unwittingly carrying her messages
of devotion to her lover. Meanwhile, his wise brother
offers his ward kindness and liberty, and is rewarded
with her hand in marriage. Performed by: Brian
Bedford, Emily Bergl, Dakin Matthews, Juliet Mills,
Christopher Neame, Lloyd Owen, Alan Shearman, Rhashan
Stone and Olivia Williams.
The School for Wives: In this biting comedy of
errors, the hapless Arnolphe is undone by his own
double dealing and double standards. This play is
considered by many to be Molière's masterpiece, and
Wilbur's subtle verse translation illuminates the
great master of comedy at his wittiest. Performed by:
William Brown, Wellesley Chapman, Joe Damour, Kevin
Fox, Cheryl Graeff, Judy Greer, Dev Kennedy, Bradley
Mott and Larry
Yando.
Tartuffe: Initially banned in by King Louis XIV,
Molière's most famous satire exposes hypocrisy in the
Catholic Church. A pious fraud manipulates the
patriarch of a wealthy family into giving up his
fortune, and it's up to his family to expose the
truth before they end up in the poor house. Performed
by: Brian Bedford, JB Blanc, Daniel Blinkoff, Gia
Carides, Jane Carr, John de Lancie, Martin Jarvis,
Alex Kingston, Matthew Rhys and Sarah Zimmerman.
The Misanthrope: Razor-sharp wit inflames a
competitive game of survival in the salons of 17th
century France. In this world of "finest
appearances," one man's blunt honesty shatters his
society's delicate web of manners in what is often
considered to be Molière's Hamlet. Performed by:
Harry Althaus, Amy Farrington, Bradford Farwell, Sean
Fortunato, David Frutkoff, Kevin Gudahl, Ora Jones,
Chad Kelderman, John Reeger, Hollis Resnik, and Larry
Yando.
