Lou Markert, left, and David Heuvelman are featured in the production of Tartuffe Frank DiMeo/University Photography
Cornell's Center for Theatre Arts opens its ninth drama season with a comedy that was controversial in its time. Seventeenth-century French playwright Moliére satirizes the serious subject of religious hypocrisy in Tartuffe, which runs Sept. 19 through Sept. 29 in the Proscenium Theatre. Performances are at 8 p.m., with a 2 p.m. matinee on Sunday, Sept. 29. Tickets are $8; $6 for students and seniors, and are available at the Box Office at the Center for Theatre Arts, 430 College Ave., or by calling 254-ARTS.
"Because of my interest in mime and commedia," says director Ron Wilson, "I was curious to see what would happen if I mixed the ribald physical world of the commedia dell'arte with the verbally dexterous wit of Moliére." Wilson explains that Moliére did see performances of Italian commedia troupes in Paris, a tradition that profoundly influenced drama throughout Europe.
Tartuffe was first produced in 1664 but it was so violently attacked by religious groups as a burlesque on piety that even the tacit support of King Louis XIV was not sufficient to quell the opposition. Moliére had to rewrite the play two times, and it was not until five years later that he succeeded in getting it publicly performed in Paris.
The story takes place in the home of the wealthy Orgon, where Tartuffe a pious impostor has insinuated himself. Tartuffe succeeds magnificently in winning the respect and devotion of the head of the house and then tries to marry Orgon's daughter, seduce his wife and secure the deed to his property. Tartuffe nearly gets it all, but an emissary from the King arrives in time to recover the property, free Monsieur Orgon and haul Tartuffe off to jail. Tartuffe's duplicity is finally exposed, but not before Moliére has mercilessly examined the evil that men can commit in the guise of religious fervor, and the dangers which imperil those who would believe only what they choose to believe despite a mountain of evidence to the contrary.
Wilson, an associate professor in Cornell's Department of Theatre, Film and Dance, directed last season's The Importance of Being Earnest and Dancing at Lughnasa.
The cast features several resident professional teaching associates (RPTAs), actors in residence who teach as well as participate in department productions. New RPTAs include David B. Heuvelman as Orgon and Lou Markert as Tartuffe. Returning RPTAs include Mark M. Cryer as M. Loyal and Trish Jenkins as Mme. Pernelle. The cast also includes undergraduates Thomas J. Dixcy, Maria Dizzia, Grace Hsu, Jonathan Laurence, Benjamin Thorn, Jon Walker, Melynee Weber and Dara Eden Weiss and graduate student Roger Bechtel.
The production team is Ed Intemann, scenic design; Judy Johnson, costume design; Michael Williams, lighting design; Chuck Hatcher, sound design; Ty M. Prewitt, stage manager; and Dick Archer, technical director.