“You can choose your enemies … unless they’re family.”
First performed in 1664, Moliere’s ‘Tartuffe’ (or ‘The Hypocrite’) follows the Pernelle family as they struggle with deceit, hypocrisy and young love.
Originally censored by King Louis XIV for its scathing commentary on the bourgeoisie, the play has since gone on to have a reputation for being as hilarious as it is smart.
An updated version of ‘Tartuffe’, adapted by Australian playwright Justin Fleming, is being performed by the Swan Hill Theatre Group in November.
The play’s director, James Hinton, said he was drawn to the project after starring in the play at Melbourne University.
“It was hilarious and we had a lot of fun performing it so I thought it would be a great fit for our theatre group.
“The plays we have done in the last couple of years have been fairly modern, this one is a bit more traditional but updated,” James said.
‘Tartuffe’ follows a wealthy family whose father takes in a poor man off the street; at first, the man seems to be pious and loyal, but in reality he’s sneaking behind their backs and stealing from them.
“The whole point of the play is that this family is trying to catch this ‘Tartuffe’ or hypocrite out.
“I really like how the play is all about religion and hypocrisy, there has never been a more relevant time than now to talk about people who on the one hand put on a pious exterior but on the other hand are doing bad things.
“On a deeper level it’s very relevant to our time, but mostly I just really like the fact that it’s funny,” he said.
To read more of this story, grab a copy of Friday’s Guardian (October 28th).
