Molière’s ‘Tartuffe’ onstage - Feb. 13-22

By Clay Evans

Catching hypocrites with their pants down for four centuries

From the moment it debuted, “Tartuffe, or The Impostor” got a few 17th-century undies in a bundle. And it’s never really stopped.

Expect plenty of irreverence and skewering when CU Theatre performs Moliere’s classic in the University Theatre Feb. 13-22. Buy tickets now

The French playwright’s enduring comedy, written and first produced in 1664, gleefully skewers religious hypocrisy to such an extent that both the English and French still use “Tartuffe” to describe a hypocrite who feigns virtue.

Although the public and even King Louis XIV loved the play, the monarch later banned the play under pressure from the Roman Catholic bishop of Paris, who threatened to excommunicate anyone who watched, performed in or even read it. Some critics who hadn’t even read the play demanded that Molière be burned at the stake.

“You don’t think of people reacting quite that violently even then,” says director Lynn Nichols, who also helmed CU-Boulder’s last production of the play 15 years ago. “It’s a little medieval!”

In the play, Tartuffe is a pious fraud and scoundrel invited to stay at the home of the blindly admiring Orgon and his mother, Madame Pernelle. But the rest of the family isn’t fooled, and they try to trap him into seducing the host’s wife, Elmire, and, shall we say, expose himself. Orgon winds up under a table, still clinging to Tartuffe’s piety despite the imposter’s aggressive attempts to swoon Elmire.

“A lot of the comedy is created because Orgon refuses to believe and doesn’t come out from under the table until Tartuffe is on top of Elmire,” Nichols says. “Even then, Madame Pernelle, Orgon’s mother, later declares they should have waited to be sure!”

Irreverent it may be, but the play retains much of its comic sting centuries later and pious scoundrels are still caught with their drawers down.

“This comedy deals in fanatical obsession and always takes it to edge. What that obsession leads to, is still very, very pertinent,” Nichols says. “It still stirs up controversy today.”

The production will feature with period movement style and manners coached by department specialist Tamara Meneghini. Markas Henry, recently nominated for Henry awards for his sets and costumes, designed sets and co-design costumes with a student.

The cast includes Jesse Pacheco as Orgon, Stephanie Spector as his wife Elmire, Mary Willingham as Orgon’s mother, Madame Pernelle, Tait Peterson as Tartuffe and others.



 “Tartuffe” by Molière

Directed by Lynn Nichols

Where: University Theatre, University of Colorado Boulder

When: Friday, Feb. 13-Sunday, Feb. 22 (Full schedule here)

Tickets: $17 general admission; $15 CU students and seniors; $5 high-school students

Box Office: 303-492-8008; or go to colorado.edu/theatredance.

Clay Evans is director of public relations for CU Presents.

Feb. 5, 2015