Tartuffe: Born Again

Freyda Thomas' adaptation of one of Molière’s play is called Tartuffe: Born Again. It is a tale of religious hypocrisy in which it's protagonist Tartuffe coerces Orgon into surrendering to him all his worldly possessions; going so far as to surrender his own wife. Tartuffe poses as a pious televangelist who finds his way into Orgon's family to the point where Orgon and his mother (Madame Pernelle) trust him with all of their decisions and to take Tartuffe's words at face value. It comes to the point where Orgon's son, Damis, is ousted from the family when he reveals that Tartuffe harbors lustful feelings toward his mother (Elmire). When Elmire finally persuades Orgon to remain hidden during one of her meetings with Tartuffe, Orgon discovers that his family's distrust of Tartuffe is in fact the truth for Tartuffe attempts to compromise Elmire. Orgon reveals himself and orders Tartuffe to leave; however, Tartuffe possesses incriminating letters toward Orgon and thus Orgon is forced to move out of his own home. The play takes a turn when Tartuffe brings an officer to help with Orgon's eviction but the officer ends up arresting Tartuffe.

The play is adapted from a 1664 satire to take place in modern-day Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It combines 17th century couplets with modern-day language. Because it takes place in Louisiana, there is a combination of Creole and Cajun French in its script. The cast's dialogue and its extreme characterizations greatly enhance the production. This extremity is central in satirical plays in order for the audience to easily grasp and categorize each character. The actor portraying Tartuffe emphasizes the irony of his character through the voice he uses for these pious sermons and through his scheming nature. This idea of extremes is depicted in Dario Fo's theory as he himself was a political satirist. He stated that in order for the audience to understand satire, situations needed to be overly dramatized. Freyda Thomas used the southern accent of Louisiana to her advantage as actors were able to rhyme the ends of lines because of the accent. I feel that by adapting one of Molière’s play into modern-day, the writer is able to engage the audience and demonstrate that Molière’s idea of piety for profit can propel even up until today.