| The Hypocrite | Melbourne Theatre Company |
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The Hypocrite, Justin Fleming’s playfully anachronistic and Australianised version of Molière’s 1664 famous farce Tartuffe.
There’s no better racket than the religion racket and no one knows that racket like Tartuffe (Kim Gyngell). Almost everyone can see what a sanctimonious hypocrite he is, except those with the most to lose.
Tartuffe has wormed his way into the once-ordered household and vulnerable heart of successful merchant Orgon (Garry McDonald). Under the guise of piety, he looks set to drive away the son (Chris Ryan), seduce the wife (Marina Prior), marry the daughter (Sara Gleeson), imprison Orgon and leave the family destitute with his holier-than-thou routine. The master plan being to string them along until they give him anything he wants: money, power, even the deeds to the house. Will the scoundrel succeed?
Railed against as a sacrilegious outrage by the Church and members of the upper-class society, Tartuffe was banned from public performance in 1664. Now acknowledged as one of the world’s greatest comedies, it strikes audiences with its contemporary relevance whenever it’s revived, no doubt because the religious hucksterism and bigotry it satirises is always prevalent.
This is Molière at his most diabolically funny.
“In my estimation, Tartuffe is Molière’s greatest work. His utter disdain for religious hypocrisy drips off the page. Australians, of course, have always had it in for wowsers, so Justin Fleming playfully gives an extra spritz to Molière’s wicked old lines. Director Peter Evans and Living National Treasure Garry McDonald will collaborate for a third time on this bon bon, closing out the year with a bang”. Simon Phillips.
‘Of all the farces written in the last 300 years, few would seem more
suitable for today’s audiences than Tartuffe, Molière’s hilarious
raillery against religious fanatics, hypocrisy and sex.’ The New York
Times
‘Few finer studies of hypocrisy and zeal have been penned.’ The Guardian
‘Molière’s great anti-fundamentalist comedy.’ The Independent
Melbourne Theatre Company Presents
The Hypocrite
A new version of Molière’s Tartuffe
By Justine Fleming
Director: Peter Evans
Set and Costume Designer: Stephen Curtis
Lighting Designer: Matt Scott
Composer: Ian McDonald
Starring: Garry McDonald, Kim Gyngell, Marina Prior, Ashley Zukerman,
Sara Gleeson, Mandy McElhinney, Kerry Walker, Chris Ryan, Nicholas
Bell, Bert Labonte, James Wardlaw and Martin Sharpe
the Arts Centre, Playhouse
Dates: 8 November – 13 December 2008
Previews: 8, 9, 10 & 11 November 2008
Opening Night: 12 November 2008
Times: Monday – Tuesday 6.30pm, Wednesday – Friday 8pm, Saturday 8.30pm, Matinees Wednesday 1pm and Saturday’s 4pm
Tickets: $28.50 - $75.30
Bookings: Ticketmaster 1300 723 038 or www.mtc.com.au
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