(WARRENSBURG, Mo.) – In 1664, the iconic playwright, Moliere, released “Tartuffe” to France. It was widely popular, and a widely known controversy. The play is a comedy about a noble family being manipulated by the supposed “Holy Man,” Tartuffe. The UCM Theater Department did their own rendition of the play with opening night being Tuesday.
The play has highbrow humor, meaning it has sophisticated jokes about the upper-class and nobility, but the play has some lowbrow humor too. These jokes are self-explanatory, in this case they involve sex in some way or another. I personally enjoyed both kinds of comedy, so natural I found “Tartuffe” to be pretty funny.
The choreography is well done. Many of the gags are visual with certain characters in raunchy positions. This wording takes new meaning if you have seen the play with the table scene. If there wasn’t anything funny happening, it was still nice several characters moving around at once. The actors fully commit to their motions, whether they be grand or extreme.
I have no doubt that changes were made between the original French version from hundreds of years ago, and this latest update. Maybe the dialogue is the same, but there were a few visual jokes that I have a feeling added on. Examples would be awkward pauses, gestures, and eye movements. I’m guessing Tartuffe stripping down to his underwear was not in the 17th century version. I think the updated comedy added to humor to an already funny play, making it a worthwhile addition.
When ‘Tartuffe’ was first released, it caused much controversy. Due to its portrayal of men of God it was banned in Paris, and re-writes had to be made to please the Church. The King himself had it censored, despite finding it funny, and like many of the mediums found to be obscene long ago, it’s very tame by today’s standards. There is nothing truly offensive about how it portrays religion. The characters point out on several occasions that there are people of faith that are sincere, and not like Tartuffe. Granted, some this dialogue came from the pressured re-writes.
Some may find the set pieces and clothing odd. There is a reason for this, being a conscious choice by the director and other staff. I believe it is trying to module the style of time period with a new twist. Having no official knowledge of this area of theatre, I will say no more.
The acting was great, I honestly didn’t see a dull performance. Even if they had small role, or a non-speaking role, they were still excellent.
There are only a few critiques about “Tartuffe,” and it has nothing to do with actors or the production team. On occasions, times well phase between jokes. The humor isn’t released with drama, but with exposition. Also, the monologues can go for a little too long, even when addressing true facts of life. Bear in mind, this is a critique on “Tartuffe” the script, and nothing else.
Even if you don’t like plays that much, I think you might like “Tartuffe.” It may be a little dull at times, but overall it is a very funny play. The jokes have aged well, and the new updates add to the humor.