Director's Concept

Moliere's classic comedy Tartuffe, first performed in the mid 17th century in France, is the tale of religious hypocrisy. The play was considered so controversial that King Louis XVI banned it from being performed; however, Moliere's themes of arrogance and foolishness supersede time. Fast forward over 220 years to the 1980s, where arrogance and foolishness reigned supreme, and watch as we take Richard Wilbur's translation of Tartuffe into the modern era.

Manhattan circa 1987. In a time where there existed an odd mixture of morality and supremacy, televangelists such as Jim Bakker and Oral Roberts were captivating the nation. And in upper middle classman Orgon's household, he too has been wooed by charismatic religious figure named Tartuffe. Slick and sophisticated, Tartuffe has used his great zeal and religious fervor to convince Orgon that all of his possessions, including his daughter, should be given to Tartuffe himself. However, the only thing standing in the way is Orgon's suspecting family, who devise a plot to trick the holy man and reveal his hypocrisy.