'Tartuffe' Off-Broadway review — French farce gets a fresh face
Read our review of Tartuffe off Broadway Lucas Hnath’s adaptation of Molière’s comedy starring Matthew Broderick, David Cross, Bianca Del Rio, and more.
Summary
- Tartuffe follows a wealthy family trying to prove to their patriarch his spiritual adviser Tartuffe is a fraud
- Matthew Broderick leads the starry cast as Tartuffe alongside actors like David Cross; Amber Gray; and a standout Bianca Del Rio
- Audiences shared mixed responses to the modern adaptation of Molière’s farce by Lucas Hnath
- The show is recommended for fans of Broderick and those who saw the other production of Tartuffe in NYC earlier this fall
Molière’s Tartuffe — a comedy about a prolific liar, his unwavering devotee, and the latter’s frustrated family — may be low-hanging fruit on the tree of modern sociopolitical commentary. Various companies in the U.S. and abroad have staged versions since the 2016 election, with one even running uptown earlier this year.
Lucas Hnath’s adaptation, directed by Sarah Benson at New York Theatre Workshop, does not offer anything particularly new to say, if such a thing is possible almost 400 years after the original purveyor of alternative facts took to the stage. Gone as well is Molière’s poetry, the alexandrines replaced by a verse of inconsistent scheme.
It doesn’t help that the company is inconsistently prepared for the challenge. Francis Jue and Ikechukwu Ufomadu lean into the wordplay and the performative schtick (aided in part by a fabulous quick-change), while others feel uncertain and unsettled. David Cross, as the witless Orgon, is one-note, though at least it’s mostly a fun note. Matthew Broderick’s Tartuffe is less a sniveling conman and more a deluded politician, like he’s told his lies long enough that he can no longer distinguish them from the truth.
This would be more effective social commentary for today if it didn’t dampen the character’s energy and make him seem more sympathetic. Indeed, Hnath and composer Heather Christian’s ending song emphasizes the frivolity of sorting these characters into “good” and “bad” people, with the family of wealthy idiots begging for the audience’s approval as Tartuffe is dragged to prison. “Please think I’m right, please, please think I’m nice,” they plead.
The convention is a little too on the nose — we know no one in this family is the humble, selfless servant Tartuffe claimed to be, but we did just spend two hours invested in their stories and hoping for a happy ending. Hnath and Benson seem a tad too comfortable in their smug resignation; I half expected Trump to come out to pardon Orgon’s treason, not a messenger of Louis XIV. The scenic design by dots is clever, with the family’s home placed atop a clay tennis court, but it leaves little to look at. Once you get the conceit, it gets old fast. Perhaps the same could be said of the production.
Tartuffe summary
A wealthy French family is frustrated that bumbling patriarch Orgon (David Cross) has taken in his religious adviser, Tartuffe (Matthew Broderick), a former pauper who constantly scolds the family members for their loose morals. Though the even-tempered Cléante (Francis Jue) advises his sister Elmire (Amber Gray), Orgon’s wife, to express her dislike of Tartuffe, Elmire believes Orgon will never listen to her — especially because his mother, Madame Pernelle (Bianca Del Rio, a highlight in her two scenes) also thinks Tartuffe is godly.
When Orgon decides to wed his daughter Mariane (Emily Davis) to the much older Tartuffe, shoving aside her promised love, Valère (Ikechukwu Ufomadu), maid Dorine (Lisa Kron) plots to keep the young couple together. Meanwhile, Elmire and her stepson Damis (Ryan J. Haddad) try to catch Tartuffe at his skeeviest.
What to expect at Tartuffe
Tartuffe runs approximately 1 hour and 50 minutes and is performed without an intermission. Some of the house lights remain on for parts of Tartuffe, allowing audience members to see each other more clearly than they may in other theatres. New York Theatre Workshop’s proscenium space is compact, with audience members in close quarters with one another.
Tartuffe discusses and depicts sexual scenarios and employs strong language. The play also discusses suicide.
What audiences are saying about Tartuffe
Tartuffe has an audience approval rating of 59% on the review aggregator Show-Score, compiled from 20 reviews from theatregoers with mixed responses.
- Show-Score user JimDM said the adaptation’s “rhyming verse production needed a stronger director and a stronger point of view."
- Show-Score user Erin F 3 says NYTW's is “the stronger production” of dueling Tartuffes this season, following one from earlier this fall.
- Show-Score user GreatAvi urged audiences, "Come with an open mind!" due to the "quirky" production choices, but praised how "Lucas Hnath updates the (rhyming!) translation of this classic play to today's language and sensibility, with wit and charm."
- Show-Score user Elisa 9119 praised the show's broad accessibility, saying it "offers a quality & fun experience for both theater & lit enthusiasts" and that it "is easy to follow, even for those unfamiliar with" the play.
Read more audience reviews of Tartuffe on Show-Score.
Who should see Tartuffe
- If you enjoyed (or missed!) Matthew Broderick’s performance in the 2022 Broadway revival of Plaza Suite, you’ll want to see his quiet scheming as Tartuffe.
- Fans of Hnath’s recent NYC theatre work, including Dana H. and A Simulacrum, will be eager to see his take on the classic Molière comedy.
- If you caught this season’s rival Tartuffe uptown, starring André De Shields as the title conman, Broderick’s performance will make for an interesting comparison.
Learn more about Tartuffe off Broadway
Lucas Hnath's Tartuffe is a dulled-down version of Molière’s farce, but it is nevertheless star-studded.
Photo credit: Tartuffe off Broadway. (Photos by Marc J. Franklin)
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