Thursday 20 May 2010

The Final Tartuffe

For one night only. For one final performance. For one final farewell.

Belt Up Theatre bring their critically acclaimed adaptation ofMoliere's classic comedy to the York Theatre Royal for its final everper formance. After two sell out runs at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and acclaimed runs in York, London's Southwark Playhouse and Cornwall, York Theatre Royal's company in residence bid a fond farewell to a show that has entertained thousands of people.

Blending clowning, farce, satire, mime and egotistical actors into a bizarre cocktail of meta-theatrical choreographed chaos – Moliere purists should leave all reservations at the door. Those that don’t like to be interacted with? Drop your guard because the haphazard troupe will grab you if they need you. By the end, they’ll have to shout at you to sit backdown.

An indefinite number of years after a career destroying scandal, lost luvvie, Orgon Poquelin presents a theatrical representation of his fall from grace at the hands of the sinister conman – Tartuffe. Assisted by his troupe of faded French variety act vagabonds, Orgon attempts a performance to truly exorcise the demons of his past.

A dizzying spectacle of theatrical pandemonium. Before you know it, you’ll be dragged up to understudy a missing troupe member or deliver a forgotten prop. Whether from itching to get onstage or from terror at being picked on, The Tartuffe will leave you on the edge of your seat; this adaptation shatters the fourth wall and happily chucks the broken fragments in the face of convention. A hilarious celebration of the very concept of theatrical performance.

After three years of the production the meta-theatrical mythology surrounding the play within the play has blossomed into an epic story of its own with characters befriending audience members who in turn come to the show again and again and become as involved in the performance as much as the troupe.

For one night only, see the 'play outside of the play' receive its final curtain call as ageing actor Orgon Poquelin prepares to say goodbye to the stage accompanied by the twenty or so troupe members who have been part of The Tartuffe in its numerous guises. Whether he'll achieve it with as much sincerity as he intends remains yet to be seen. Whether you've experience the calamity of the show before or are simply a fan of Moliere and have no idea what you're getting yourself into, this will be a performance not to be missed.

Tickets available from http://www.yorktheatreroyal.co.uk/

Book now to avoid disappointment!

1 comment:

  1. It should be committed to posterity in video form. It must.

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