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Molière in Miami? The Company Theatre’s new production of Molière’s “Tartuffe” might have surprised its author in many ways. This play was written in 1664, but its new look is completely 1980s.
Director Brodie McPherson relished the idea of removing “Tartuffe” from an era of lace collars, powdered wigs, and curtsies, and placing it in the 1980s world of shoulder pads, big hair, and voguing.
The action in this 17th century satirical farce about a sleazy fake evangelist and his prey dovetails nicely with its new, pastel-colored setting in a penthouse apartment in Miami—which, as anyone around in the 1980s knows, is a perfect setting for vice. The scene changes are marked by cast members dancing to ’80s hits by the Go-Go’s, Blondie, and Depeche Mode. (There’s precedent here; Molière’s original productions were full of musical cues and dances.)
While the overall tone of this production is colorful and even nostalgic, McPherson points out that “this was such an odd period in American history. On one hand, pop culture and music became very free, with artists like Cyndi Lauper, Boy George, and Madonna cross-dressing and singing about whatever they wanted to. But politically, the country took a massive turn rightward, and yuppies and Wall Street promoted the ‘greed-is-good’ philosophy.”
McPherson describes many of the secondary characters in “Tartuffe” as “tropey,” meaning stock comic figures like saucy maids, domineering mothers-in-law, and put-upon lovers.
“Modern audiences expect a little more from characters, so we’re interpreting these people as a little more nefarious,” McPherson notes. From the first scene, a group dance to Depeche Mode‘s “I Just Can’t Get Enough,” these characters are shown as members of the hedonistic, materialistic society of the 1980s.
“You’re a little bit glad to see these problems happening to them,” says the director. “Besides, I think we all enjoy seeing rich people get what’s coming to them.”
The standard English translation of “Tartuffe,” by the American poet Richard Wilbur, is elegantly written and resolutely in period. For this production, McPherson chose a 2009 translation by Jeffrey D. Roeper that’s more contemporary and colloquial, and whose humor is occasionally more profane; several of Roeper’s turns of phrase might have added a few curls to Molière’s wig.
The story is unchanged: Orgon, a wealthy middle-aged gentleman, is under the spell of Tartuffe, a charismatic crook posing as a holy man. Tartuffe is living in Orgon’s house and has designs on Orgon’s wife, property, and fortune; Orgon is also happy to offer Tartuffe his daughter in marriage, to the family’s horror. After witnessing Tartuffe’s attempt to seduce his wife, Orgon realizes his folly, and Tartuffe is arrested in the nick of time.
“Tartuffe is not unlike Shakespeare’s ‘Measure for Measure,’” says Carl Del Buono, the founder and artistic director of the Company Theatre. “A character is abusing power under the guise of religious duty.” (In the French language, “un Tartuffe” has become a synonym for a hypocrite.)
“Our Tartuffe, played by Chris Conway, is like a 1980s televangelist,” says McPherson. “They could make anything sound good, but they were completely slick and on the surface.”
Also unchanged by Roeper is Molière’s surprising style. “Tartuffe” is written in verse—five-syllable rhyming couplets, to be exact. The story could easily turn tragic, or at least melodramatic, but the wit and energy inherent in the rhythms and rhymes save the day.
“It’s a challenge not to make the verse sound jingly, and not to come down too hard on the rhymes and the punchlines,” says McPherson. “But it’s like performing Shakespeare: Molière has a similar poetic style.”
“Tartuffe” was originally banned as offensive to the French Catholic Church. Luckily, Molière had a friend in Louis XIV, who eventually approved a revised version. A great success, it’s probably still the most popular of Moliere’s plays.
In France, Molière (the stage and pen name of Jean-Baptiste Poquelin) is as revered as Shakespeare is in England; in fact, the modern French language has been described as “the language of Molière.” Along with “Tartuffe,” such Molière plays as “The Miser,” “The Misanthrope,” and “The School for Wives” are not only staples of French Lit classes, but are also frequently performed in America. However, it has been a long time since a Molière play has been presented by a Rochester theater group.
“That’s the Company Theatre ethos,” says Del Buono. “We take these dusty plays from the shelf and blow the dust off them. We’ve had a heavy season, with a new play written for us (“The Summer Land”), a Shakespeare tragedy (“Macbeth”), and a big literary adaptation (“Great Expectations”). So, we decided to end with a bang—something classic but light and funny, almost with a sitcom vibe.”
“There was an excited reaction when we announced ‘Tartuffe,’” says McPherson. “We’ve had a series of plays about power, imbalance, and conflict. This is the comedy version of all that, and it’s a great fit.”
The Company Theatre presents Molière’s “Tartuffe” June 6-16 at the Temple Theatre, 50 Liberty Pole Way. Information and tickets, including upcoming information about the 2025-2026 season, are available here.