Stony Playreaders: Tartuffe
Venue: Online via Zoom
Date: 25 Jan 2022
Time: 19:00
StonyWords: Stony Playreaders: tartuffe (The Imposter or The Hypocrite)
Date: Tuesday 25 January 7pm
Venue: Online via Zoom
Tickets: Admission free – to book a place, contact Robin Roy: robin.roy5619@gmail.com
A rehearsed reading by the Stony Play Readers of Tartuffe, a comic satire by Molière first performed in 1664 but promptly banned for five years by Louis XIV who, under the influence of the Archbishop of Paris, was horrified by the play’s portrayal of religious hypocrisy.
When Tartuffe, a poor beggar, is taken into a wealthy French household, his professions of great piety are revealed to be driven by pure self-interest. The problem is that the master of the house and his mother are convinced of his honesty with severe consequences for the whole family.
A version of the play will be read in an English translation by Richard Wilbur that preserves the original verse dialogue. We are grateful to Josef Weinberger Ltd for permission to use this text free of charge.