Against an all white set, Rough Hewn’s Tartuffe uses traditional 17th Century costuming in all its glorious colour and preposterous wigs, combined with a liberal dash of 1960s faux lounge music to bring this comedy to life. Archetypal characters from the Commedia dell’Arte tradition, (former day Daffy Ducks, Sylvesters, Elmer Fudds) bring us an evening of hilarity - Orgon, the gullible, ineffectual booby, the silliness of young lovers, Damis’ passion to go the biff with Tartuffe and Tartuffe himself, the self-serving go-getter, lean, mean, seducing and a pleasure to boot. The emphasis is on fun and half the fun in Tartuffe is recognising oneself from one moment to the next. A perfect end of year production for 2009.

Directed by Geoff Cartwright
Cast:
Madame Pernelle (Orgon's mother)  - Honey Bourgeois
Flipote (Her maid)                          - Chloe Christensen
Elmire (Orgon's wife)                      - Louise Harding
Mariane (Orgon's daughter)             - Camille Pellicer
Damis (Orgon's son)                      - Artin Ayvazian
Dorine (Mariane's maid)                  - Katherine Lunny
Cleante (Elmire's brother)               - Christian Grant
Orgon                                           - Andrew Drummond
Valere (Mariane's beloved)              - Mitchell McDermott
Tartuffe (An odious hypocrite)          - David Halgren
Laurent (Tartuffe's manservant)        - Chloe Christensen