[NEohioPAL]Another Great Review of TARTUFFE at Actors' Summit from the Plain Dealer

Tue Mar 11 12:38:05 PST 2003

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Satirist's swipes at religious hypocrisy still sting 350 years later 
03/11/03
James Damico 
Special to The Plain Dealer

Moliere's "Tartuffe" is one of the comic monuments of dramatic literature. 
Scathingly witty and oddly touching, it's as fresh today as when its debut 
350 years ago got its author into holy hot water with church authorities. 

Happily, Actors' Summit's revival is specifically and agreeably calculated - 
despite some nagging shortcomings - to render the timeless pertinence of the 
play accessible to a contemporary audience. 

Moliere stays forever modern because the targets of his laser-accurate satire 
on human foibles are still around. We have as of yet no shortage of 
pettifogging lawyers, profit-hungry doctors and wealthy chumps who exalt 
opportunistic phonies. 

The quarry in "Tartuffe" is religious hypocrisy and its gullible victims. In 
the age of Jimmys Swaggart and Bakker, and myriad sects with brainwashed 
followers, it's hardly an antiquated concern. 

Tartuffe is a crafty bum who employs a sleazy talent for fake piety to worm 
his way into a well-to-do man's household. Against the outraged opposition of 
his family, Orgon is transformed into a hypnotized dupe who worships the 
conniving intruder as a saint. 

Finally giving away his daughter and estate to Tartuffe, Orgon is only saved 
by overhearing the lecherous fraud attempting to seduce his wife. 

Director Neil Thackaberry emphasizes the broader comic aspects of character 
and situation, somewhat neglecting the play's emotional depths. It's 
nonetheless a clean, attentive production that prudently trusts tradition. 

Following the general tenor, Tom Fulton plays the title character as a 
comedian might. Overtly smarmy, the actor sports a constant twinkle to let us 
know he knows he's being comically outrageous. 

The expert yet cutesy self-referential performance had at least one Saturday 
night audience lapping it up. 

Doing double duty, Thackaberry brings a confident decency to Orgon, his 
bluster unthreatening and his human instincts discernible - though he could 
find more instances to reveal them. 

As his wife, Kristie Lang has a mature grace and adorns costumer MaryJo 
Alexander's handsome gown. Sally Groth is energetic as Moliere's standard 
sassy servant. She might, however, gear back and let the role carry her 
instead of the reverse. 

In a large cast, Mary Jane Nottage, Diane Mull and John Fairbairn contribute 
substantially. 

The evening's most genuinely Moliere-ish performance comes from Joe Gunderman 
as Orgon's reasonable brother-in-law. Controlled and pointed, he delivers the 
playwright's lethal thrusts with unexaggerated precision. 

The effect is to remind us that, in a world whose idea of corrective comedy 
has grown simultaneously more blandly PC and vulgarly uncivilized, there was 
once a powerful satirist both humane and hysterical. 

Damico is a free-lance writer in Cleveland

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<HTML><FONT FACE=3Darial,helvetica><P ALIGN=3DCENTER><FONT  SIZE=3D2 FAMILY=
=3D"SANSSERIF" FACE=3D"Arial" LANG=3D"0">Satirist's swipes at religious hypo=
crisy still sting 350 years later <BR>
<P ALIGN=3DLEFT>03/11/03<BR>
James Damico <BR>
Special to The Plain Dealer<BR>
<BR>
Moliere's "Tartuffe" is one of the comic monuments of dramatic literature. <=
BR>
Scathingly witty and oddly touching, it's as fresh today as when its debut 3=
50 years ago got its author into holy hot water with church authorities. <BR=
>
<BR>
Happily, Actors' Summit's revival is specifically and agreeably calculated -=
 despite some nagging shortcomings - to render the timeless pertinence of th=
e play accessible to a contemporary audience. <BR>
<BR>
Moliere stays forever modern because the targets of his laser-accurate satir=
e on human foibles are still around. We have as of yet no shortage of pettif=
ogging lawyers, profit-hungry doctors and wealthy chumps who exalt opportuni=
stic phonies. <BR>
<BR>
The quarry in "Tartuffe" is religious hypocrisy and its gullible victims. In=
 the age of Jimmys Swaggart and Bakker, and myriad sects with brainwashed fo=
llowers, it's hardly an antiquated concern. <BR>
<BR>
Tartuffe is a crafty bum who employs a sleazy talent for fake piety to worm=20=
his way into a well-to-do man's household. Against the outraged opposition o=
f his family, Orgon is transformed into a hypnotized dupe who worships the c=
onniving intruder as a saint. <BR>
<BR>
Finally giving away his daughter and estate to Tartuffe, Orgon is only saved=
 by overhearing the lecherous fraud attempting to seduce his wife. <BR>
<BR>
Director Neil Thackaberry emphasizes the broader comic aspects of character=20=
and situation, somewhat neglecting the play's emotional depths. It's nonethe=
less a clean, attentive production that prudently trusts tradition. <BR>
<BR>
Following the general tenor, Tom Fulton plays the title character as a comed=
ian might. Overtly smarmy, the actor sports a constant twinkle to let us kno=
w he knows he's being comically outrageous. <BR>
<BR>
The expert yet cutesy self-referential performance had at least one Saturday=
 night audience lapping it up. <BR>
<BR>
Doing double duty, Thackaberry brings a confident decency to Orgon, his blus=
ter unthreatening and his human instincts discernible - though he could find=
 more instances to reveal them. <BR>
<BR>
As his wife, Kristie Lang has a mature grace and adorns costumer MaryJo Alex=
ander's handsome gown. Sally Groth is energetic as Moliere's standard sassy=20=
servant. She might, however, gear back and let the role carry her instead of=
 the reverse. <BR>
<BR>
In a large cast, Mary Jane Nottage, Diane Mull and John Fairbairn contribute=
 substantially. <BR>
<BR>
The evening's most genuinely Moliere-ish performance comes from Joe Gunderma=
n as Orgon's reasonable brother-in-law. Controlled and pointed, he delivers=20=
the playwright's lethal thrusts with unexaggerated precision. <BR>
<BR>
The effect is to remind us that, in a world whose idea of corrective comedy=20=
has grown simultaneously more blandly PC and vulgarly uncivilized, there was=
 once a powerful satirist both humane and hysterical. <BR>
<BR>
Damico is a free-lance writer in Cleveland</P></P></FONT></HTML>

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