It’s been 360 years since the French playwright Molière wrote the play “Tartuffe” and more than 60 since American poet Richard Wilbur translated the script into witty English rhyming couplets.
But a well-directed production of the play that opened Saturday at North Coast Repertory Theatre in Solana Beach proves that funny never goes out of style.
Despite the stylized dialogue and Elisa Benzoni’s playfully over-the-top period costumes, this “Tartuffe” feels very now thematically, thanks to director Richard Baird, who humanizes the characters in this 17th-century farce.
Set in 1664, “Tartuffe” is the story of Orgon, a wealthy but gullible Parisian who takes in the seemingly ascetic holy man, Tartuffe, as a show of his own inner piety. But Tartuffe is a hypocrite and a con man, who his scheming to seduce Orgon’s wife, Elmire, and get his hands on Orgon’s fortune.
Katie Karel, left, Bo Foxworth and Shante DeLoach in North Coast Repertory Theatre’s “Tartuffe.”
(Courtesy of Aaron Rumley)
Everyone in the household except for Orgon and his devout mother can see through Tartuffe but they are powerless to stop him. Ultimately a satiric deus ex machina finale saves the day.
Baird has fielded a champagne cast for this production, which is a true ensemble piece with good work done by all. But North Coast Rep veteran Bruce Turk is the production’s glue as title character Tartuffe.
The play is structured unusually, where Tartuffe doesn’t make his first entrance until nearly an hour into the story. This builds suspense for the audience about this seemingly evil and obvious charlatan. But Turk’s Tartuffe doesn’t make a grand entrance. Instead, he arrives humble and restrained, quietly calculating his space in the room for maximum impact. Turk is also hilarious in his attempted seduction of Orgon’s wife, Elmire, played with subtlety and grace by Melanie Lora.
Bo Foxworth is amusingly wide-eyed and self-satisfied as Orgon. Katie Karel has great comic timing and steals all her scenes as the ever-wise servant Dorine. Kandis Chappell is cool and haughty as Orgon’s mother, Mme. Pernelle. Christopher K. Williams is the voice of reason as Orgon’s brother Cleante. Shanté Deloach and Jared Van Heel have some fun repartée as sparring lovers Mariane and Valere. Rogelio Douglas III is impetuous as Orgon’s eldest son Damis. And Kate Rose Reynolds plays multiple roles, from an abused maid to a royal officer.
The sumptuous production, which runs 2-1/2 hours with intermission, features an elegant drawing room set by Marty Burnett, lighting by Matt Novotny and sounds by Ian Scot, with some impressive Grand Siècle period wigs by Peter Herman.
In recent years, theater companies around the country have revived “Tartuffe” in contemporary stagings that skewer the hypocrisy of the Christian right in American politics. But this production stays firmly in its period and place. But its flawed and very human characters are relatable for today’s audiences.
‘Tartuffe’
When: 7 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays; 8 p.m. Fridays; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays; 2 and 7 p.m. and Sundays. Extended through April 7
Where: North Coast Repertory Theatre, 987 Lomas Santa Fe Drive, Solana Beach
Tickets: $54-$79
Phone: (858) 481-1055
Online: northcoastrep.org