Review: Tartuffe (Remixed) – Marlyebone Theatre, London

Tartuffe (Remixed) is a revisionist version of Molière’s seventeenth-century satire Tartuffe – which translates as ‘The Imposter’ or ‘The Hypocrite’, particularly in the context of religious hypocrisy. Both translations are fitting here. Molière’s play was popular but controversial, offending those who disliked the characterisation of an outwardly pious man as greedy, lecherous and deceitful.

This ‘remixed’ version by Darren Raymond, Artistic Director of Intermission Youth, takes the basic plot and places the action in twenty-first-century London, portraying a supposed Anglican vicar (played by Mark Rylance) in the midst of Jamaican and Nigerian families preparing for a wedding. The heritage and identities of the two families are artfully used to explore their differences and similarities, as well as cross-generational traditions, expectations and conflicts. And the Anglican element also opens up questions about colonialism.

So, we have a comedy where the vicar is actually a charlatan, worming his way into the family and defrauding them all the while, as the patriarch, Oga, and Grandma fall deeper and deeper under his spell. No one else believes he’s a force for good, but Oga is the head of his household and must be obeyed. Will both families fall apart, or will Tartuffe be exposed for the imposter he is?

It’s a comedy – a farce, with Rylance playing the creepy vicar, all sleaze and slime, complete with false teeth to add to his lack of physical attractiveness – and even ‘remixed’ might seem quite old-fashioned in its unsophisticated plot.

**Blanche Williams (Great Grandma) and Mark Rylance (Pastor Blake) (C) Mark Senior**

Alexandrines, Cultural Clashes, and Mark Rylance at Marylebone Theatre

Raymond has stuck to the twelve-syllable rhyming couplets of the original which, while understandable, don’t always work well here; some of the rhymes seem forced and the delivery somewhat clunky. I did enjoy where it was acknowledged on stage that the rhymes were pretty poor. Some of the actors handled the delivery far better than others, avoiding the singsong ‘dee-dah-dee-dah’ cadence.

“…even ‘remixed’ might seem quite old-fashioned in its unsophisticated plot.”

I know that to perfectly deliver Shakespearean lines as if they are everyday speech to modern ears, members of the RSC often try to use the rhythms and cadences even when not in rehearsal, and their ‘rep’ set-up helps greatly with that. Molière, even ‘remixed’, is just as tricky. I think the piece could have stood to be modernised further by ditching the alexandrines altogether.

The costume and set designs – by Maybelline Laye and Ultz respectively – are bright, beautiful and blingy, and really work on the stage of this lovely theatre. Although the sets look a bit more like a hotel lobby and cocktail bar than a home, they reflect the affluence of the Nigerian family. The African family tends to wear more traditional garb, whereas the West Indian family is more relaxed, though on formal occasions they all shine.

All of the ensemble actors have long-standing connections with Raymond’s Intermission Youth, and each night of the run will allow current students to take part. In every way, this is a family affair and, as well as the main premise of deception and fraud, the play is at its most modern and resonant when Oga’s children voice the dilemmas and injustices their upbringing has inflicted on them. Though endearing in the role, GG’s voice didn’t always carry well to the back of the auditorium, and some other lines were lost on me.

The majority of the audience evidently got the nuances and family ‘in’ jokes though, so perhaps that was down to my seat.

“I think the piece could have stood to be modernised further by ditching the alexandrines altogether.”

Having one big name – in this case Rylance – in a play makes it hard for the audience to have to wait until after the interval for him to be on stage for any prolonged period. It’s the way the play is written, though, and most, I’m sure, would feel it was worth the wait. I’ve personally enjoyed other parts he’s made his own a lot more, and found his portrayal of the imposter rather overdone.

However, this is a more deeply layered play than the word ‘comedy’ conveys. The original may have been written in the 1600s, but the issues it confronts are still just as relevant today – and sometimes it’s easier to confront serious issues by sending them up than by facing them head-on.

Featured Image: Usifu Jalloh (Oga) and Mark Rylance (Pastor Blake) (c) Mark Senior