The Voice of Treason

Tartuffified

Writing by treason on Wednesday, 23 of November , 2005 at 1:55 pm

How funny. I just went online and found dozens of blogs that had various comments about Tartuffe. One entry was from a first-time stage manager on the night the production closed. Capture someone at an impressionable age, show them Tartuffe, and they are yours forever. It’s what happened to my high school Drama teacher. He was in college - a football player - and needed an “easy” elective. He took a theater class, got the lead in Tartuffe, and his life was forever altered.

It reminds me of my mother’s theory about food and pregnancy. She says that when she was carrying me, she was working in an Italian restaurant and she ate pizza almost everyday. It’s no surprise then, she says, that I’m a pizza fanatic. True, I love the stuff. It’s been my goal wherever I’ve lived to find the area’s best pizza. I’ve now decided that it’s time to perfect my own.

But my question has always been: Is it the pregnant woman’s food choices that influence the eating habits of the child, or is it the baby, inside the mother’s womb, that determines what she wants to eat? I think with my sister she ate a lot of German food - especially sauerkraut. My sister favored my father’s side of the family and looked Dutch.

Why this makes me think about the effects of Tartuffe, I’ll never know. It’s just that after I saw my first production of Tartuffe and read the play, it was my goal to see every production I could until I found the best one. Saw a good one in Palo Alto, saw ACT’s version, and I even think I saw one in Ashland at the play festival. So when I saw a review of a local production in our Sunday Arts section, my heart skipped a beat. “I’ve got to go!”

And then I read the review. I know one of our local theater critics from having a working relationship with him for three years. He’s sort of the Joe Lieberman of critique - a nice Jewish man from back east and a die-hard Yankees fan. Even if he writes something unflattering, it’s never fatal. Our other local critic is someone I’ve met briefly, but I know his reputation better than I know the man. I like to think of him as our John Simon. He’s very good at what he does and he doesn’t try to spare anyone’s feelings.

The review of Tartuffe was scathing. He started out saying it was “short on subtlety.” A common flaw in local productions, and not unusual for Tartuffe. The play is old, but it works as is. The director in this case decided to go modern. Says our critic: “(The director) appears to have offered his cast three modes of expression: bellow, scream, or shout. At times most of the cast members could be heard in the farthest corners of ________ Hall; unfortunately, they were performing across the street at the _________.” Good thing I wasn’t taking a sip of coffee when I read this - I would have choked to death. Says our critic: “Sheer volume is not the only way to express emotion.” So true.

But then he goes on: “…has many good moments as Tartuffe , but his exaggerated Southern accent and fey gestures seem more political than dramatic.” Uh-oh, I said to myself. I know precisely where this one’s going. I’ve seen countless productions - even Candide - that feature a villain with a twang. The review continues and pretty much tells me what I’d suspected. It’s heavy-handed and tries to compare the Moliere story to the current administration’s “courtship of the religious right.” But there’s more. The critic explains that the presidential seal has been reproduced on the floor of the set, and before and during the play there are slides - unflattering pictures and cartoons - of President Bush projected on a screen above the stage.

The critic closes with:

“A character asks, ‘Must I shout it into your ears?’ My answer is ‘NO.’”

Ouch! I enjoyed the review and I enjoy knowing that this man saved me a few hours and ten bucks. Alas, that is the problem with some local theater. It doesn’t have to be in your face. Moliere made his points loud and clear back in the 1660’s - the play speaks for itself. But I don’t condemn the director’s spin on this show. It might actually have worked, had it been a little more subtle.

Theater is struggling in some parts of the country and that’s a shame. Directors need to remember that they’re selling a product and they need to know their audience. I say make your point, but make it palatable. Filling your auditorium with friends and university students is fine - as long as they’re paying for tickets. As unpalatable as the word “profit” is for those in local theater, those who succeed know that it’s profit that keeps the doors open. Not very subtle, but that’s the way it is.

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