Live theatre is meant to be enjoyed in the moment it happens. Understandably though, this isn’t always an option for everyone. Thankfully there’s plenty available online to peruse through and some of it’s even done well enough that it almost feels live. YouTube being where streaming otherwise came to life is still home to multiple forms of content, including theatre. Some of what’s uploaded is the last thing anyone would expect to have even been filmed, such as, a Moliere play. Tartuffe is one of the playwright’s most famous works and in 2017, a South African theatre company toured the play, now having taken the liberty of providing an online version.
Tartuffe may be one of the earliest works ever staged that has to do with hypocrisy
Tartuffe may be one of the earliest works ever staged that has to do with hypocrisy. The character Tartuffe is a deceptive man who has fooled property owner Orgon into believing he’s someone that he isn’t. Tartuffe claims to be religious and virtuous, when in reality he’s an otherwise pious person. Orgon is deceived, though everyone else is on to him. In this rambunctious classic comedy, Tartuffe and those who would try to stop him are all eventually shown for the hypocrites that they really are. This version is put on by Fortune Cookie Theatre Company in a showing that is heightened and over the top in the most appropriate ways.
Director Sylvaine Strike’s vision for the production comes to life with a simply but well decorated set and a multicultural cast, all of whom showed up to play with an astute professionalism. Like Shakespeare, Moliere’s language is of a different calibre of the English language. This could prove an issue for those who may not be familiar with his work, yet it created no problems for the actors. The cast accommodates the linguistics with ease, and with a physical display that makes the show anything but slow or dull. The costumes were period appropriate, the lighting design is basic but keeps the stage/actors lit without issue, and the actors connect with each other and the comedic form of the writing as though this was never written but as though it’s perhaps actually happening in real time. Aside from the fact that Moliere’s writing might not be the easiest for everyone to follow, this is a solid presentation of his work. There’s very little that can be said against the play, most of what could be critiqued requiring going out of ones way to do so.
This play may have already happened, and in watching the recording, it’s only imaginable as to what the live experience would’ve felt like. The camera crew and the editors of this cut still do a fine job of hitting close ups of the actors and also picking the right moments to show the entire stage. Live will always be better when it comes to theatre, but this will be the next best thing. It’s still currently on YouTube and the best part is, it costs nothing to watch. See it before this changes.
