A zany comedy is presented by the senior drama class at Cedars Christian School Feb. 21 to 23.
Tartuffe, written more than 400 years ago by French playwright Moliere, was created in rhyming lines, a bit of extra fun for the audience to hear and the students to recite.
The play sees an impoverished con man, Tartuffe, convince a pious believer that he is only out of money because he gave all his wealth to the poor. The foolish believer and his cranky mother are the only ones who don’t see through the scam. The challenge is to convince Dad that he’s terribly mistaken when Tartuffe becomes a house guest.
Things go from bad to worse when Dad decides his daughter should marry Tartuffe, not realizing that Tartuffe’s romantic interest lie more with his own wife than his eligible daughter.
“This play is unique in that it’s both terribly funny with lots of silliness, but also a profound exploration of when and how to trust people, especially those who claim to be people of faith,” said Caroljoy Green, Cedars Christian School drama teacher.
“The play exposes our human tendency to bounce from one extreme to the next in ways that are definitely comedic. It’s translated from the French to modern English – there are no ‘thees’ and ‘thous’ but the students enjoyed the challenge of making the ‘persuasion’ come alive just as much as the clowning.”
This play is targeted for youth and adults but may not be suitable for children as Tartuffe and the wife speak and act in outrageous ways at times.
The show goes Friday, Feb. 21, Saturday, Feb. 21 and Sunday, Feb. 22 at 7 p.m. with doors open at 6:30 at Lakewood Alliance Church 4001 Fifth Ave. Tickets are $10 in advance at https://cedars.bc.ca/drama
