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Page 6
THE BATTALION
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 6, 1978
Tartuffe: music
enlivens old plot
“Tartuffe," produced by the Aggie
Players in Rudder Center Theatre at
8 p.m. Oct. 6 and 7.
TAMU MSC TOWN HALL
SERIES ATTRACTION #2
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 20 8:00 P.M.
G. ROLLIE WHITE COLISEUM
General
Reserved
I
A&M
Student
Non-
Student
Date
FREE
w/ticket
3.00
4.00/
4.00/
4.50
4.50
Tickets and Info:
^►MSC Box Office
6.50
845-2916
By DOUG GRAHAM
Battalion Staff
Comedy can be compared to an
automobile since, with time, it can
get stale, ragged out and ready for
the scrapheap. However, good
humor, like a fine car, can transcend
the graveyard of overworked jokes
and become classic.
Such is the case with Moliere’s
“Tartuffe,” a comedy about a con
niving religious fake who attempts
to gain control of a nobleman’s
property. The play, written in 1664,
is not like the stylized and artificial
“Comedy of Manners” popular later
in England. It is a comedy of charac
ters.
Each character represents a dif
ferent type of human being. Tar
tuffe, played by David Campbell, is
one of those predators on human
gullibility who has fooled the
nobleman, Orgon, and his mother.
Orgon’s household is aligned against
Tartuffe. That includes his son who
is as ruled by emotion as his father,
Dorine, the earthy and practical
maid, Orgon’s wife, daughter, and
his utterly rational, at times bor
ingly pedantic brother, Cleante.
These characters serve as foils to
one another. Cleante, whose
viewpoint is probably closest to
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Moliere’s, tries in vain to use reason
to convince his brother ofTartuffe’s
fakery, but Orgon is convinced only
when he sees Tartuffe trying to
seduce his wife.
In the meantime, however,
Orgon loves Tartuffe as a brother.
When he returns home from a trip
he is told his wife was deathly ill.
“And what of Tartuffe?” he asks.
He is told Tartuffe ate a hearty
meal and retired for the night.
“Poor fellow,” Orgon laments.
Orgon remains under the fake’s
spell. After banishing his son for in
sulting Tartuffe, he gives the hypoc
rite title to his estate.
Of course Tartuffe then resorts to
legal means to secure Orgon’s evic
tion. But happily, the King of
France through his discerning
heart, sees through Tartuffe’s
treachery and has his guards arrest
Tartuffe in front of Orgon. The King
also forgives Orgon a trespass in
volved in harboring a traitor’s corre
spondence. That shows the play’s
age. It also demonstrates Moliere’s
intelligence as a playwright. There
was no future in 17th century
France in insulting the King.
Thus there is a happy ending.
The play as presented in Rudder
Center was fine. The costumes were
well done, though the veil-like thing
Orgon’s wife wore on her hair
looked like a piece of an old sheet.
The set designed by Roy O’Valle
was superbly crafted. The anomaly
was the table cloth on the center ta
ble; it looked cheap compared to the
fine woodwork, painting and win
dows.
The acting was very competent.
Debbie Ellis as Dorine, was out
standing along with Campbell. She
played Babette in Pajama Tops this
summer and seems to do well in
roles demanding assertive, saucy
and practical women.
Campbell fit his role. It was a role
for a ham, a ham with good comedic
gestures and timing. His pursuit of
Orgon’s wife was excellent when,
with a rebuff, he recoiled only to
pursue once more. He maintained
crafty demeanor well, summing up a
hypocrite’s creed in one line: “Sin is
no sin in confidence,”
%
k
v- in
Lovers Valere and Mariane in Moliere s Tar
tuffe,” played here by Owen Sonik and Julie
Scott, convince each other they don t love
each other, much to the chagrin of the maid
Dorine (Debbie Ellis). The conflict has arisen
because Mariane’s father wishes her to
Tartuffe, and she intends to honor hisw
The Aggie Players are presenting theplai
p.m. tonight and Saturday in Rudder
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Orgon, played by Philip Hafer
reminded one just a bit too much of
Oliver Hardy. It may have been the
voice, or the mannerisms, but de
spite that, Hafer successfully por
trayed the gullible nobleman as a
rather pompous fellow ruled by
emotion rather than reason.
Jonathan Plessner as Cleante
turned in one of the most winning
performances of the night. His self-
congratulatory smiles and facial ex
pressions stole scenes all night.
On the other hand, Orgon’s
daughter, Julie Scott, and her lover,
Owen Sonik, turned in weaker per
formances, not simply due to the
characters they were to portray-
-Sonik more so than Scott, who did
seem to be in character for a snivel
ing, tearful daughter of a noble.
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■
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m
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Ootobor 6 CSk 7; 8 WVL
DARK STAR: IVHdniglrt:, Oct:. 7
ST & ID^ Rudder AucHbortum
SPECIAL FEATURE^ HARDWARE WARS
IVISC CERHED VARIABLE
Orgon’s son, Jim Witcher, was a
hit overplayed. Too often he seemed
like a 17th century Luke Skywalker
straining to get into the thick of the
struggle and fight.
I wasn’t sure about Beth Potten,
Orgon’s wife, at first. But as the play
progressed, she seemed to pick up
her composure. At first she seemed
just a copy of the spineless daugh
ter. She improved, but even so,
hers was a rather weak portrayal of a
worldly woman capable of running a
household and rebuffing unwanted
amorous advances. One would have
thought such a woman to have more
backbone and calculating intelli
gence than was displayed.
The walk-ons were not inspiring,
but were adequate.
Overall the play was successful. It
was authentically done, with special
It .XKZ
praise going to the group
cians under Penelope Kusa
who wrote the haroque-stylei
played between scenes.!
member of the players saidQ
nyik built the liarpsichodj
played. The group also m
oboe,a clarinet, ami a Frenci
The chamber music theyn
was an elegant touch.
Wencke, tin* director, sha
congratulated. There wereon
or two slight mistakes in d
but other than those, the pi*
ressed smoothly.
He
till encol
Brmativil
NAS
DOC
DOC
nappes]
choke
So the 300->ear-old play rrt I m ji es
its humorous tune in spited
nd the transition to ri»
English from its native Frenu
It leaves one with one co«
to make: Vive Moliere
:xk=d#
MKC
D4*C
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