Tartuffe, France's most popular play, returns to the Singapore stage

Wild Rice's Tartuffe stars (from left) Dennis Sofian, Benjamin Chow, Jo Tan, Oon Shu An and (under the skirt) Ivan Heng.

WHEN Tartuffe was written and staged by Moliere in 1664, King Louis XIV enjoyed the play, but had to ban it to appease the conservative segments of French society.

The French clergy had interpreted it as a satire of the Catholic church and clergymen - when Moliere was really trying to show how a religion (or any religion, for that matter) could be immorally used as an instrument of control.

Today, Tartuffe is the most popular comedy from France, performed in just about every language and country. Its themes of religious hypocrisy and manipulation resonate throughout the world, and its farcical elements continue to delight audiences.

To mark the 400th anniversary of the birth of Moliere (1622 - 1673), theatre company Wild Rice has decided to stage Tartuffe, complete with a period-inspired production design and art direction.

The script has been newly adapted by well-known playwright Joel Tan to make it more relevant to the Singapore audience, while the star-studded cast will be led by veteran director Glen Goei.

Ivan Heng, Wild Rice's founder and artistic director, says: "The production is intended to be, in a word, fabulous. The past 2 years have been so gloomy, and we're all so badly in need of an injection of colour.

"So we brought together our favourite designers - Frederick Lee (costumes), Ashley Lim (hair), Bobbie Ng (makeup), Wong Chee Wai (set), Tai Zi Feng (lighting) and Julian Wong (music) - to realise Glen's vision of an eye-popping, candy-coloured world."

Heng himself will play the role of Orgon, the wealthy patriarch who is charmed by the charismatic con artist Tartuffe (Benjamin Chow) and invites him into his house. There, Tartuffe peddles his false piety to influence the other members of Orgon's household, going so far as to try and seduce Orgon's wife (Jo Tan).

The other starry members of cast are Pam Oei, Oon Shu An, Shane Mardjuki, and Brendon Fernandez, as well as talented newcomer Dennis Sofian.

Heng says: "Tartuffe is a play that Glen and I have been thinking of doing for years. We've pretty much read every single English adaptation, but they've never quite hit the mark. I think it's partly because all these adaptations were also written for their specific audiences.

"Joel's adaptation goes to the heart of Moliere's message - which is a warning about religious hypocrisy. It is beautifully poetic and belly-achingly funny, but it's also a biting satire with keen observations about human foibles and the world we live in today... In today's polarised world, religion is increasingly being weaponised for personal and political gain."

For the Ambassador of France to Singapore, His Excellency Marc Abensour, the staging of Tartuffe here could not be more exciting.

He says: "Tartuffe occupies a prominent place, not only in the quarrel over the morality of the theatre, which had divided Europe since the previous century, but also in the history of France, which is marked by the unique interweaving of the literary and the political, and of which Moliere's play crystallises some of the most cardinal characteristics.

"Ivan and his team embody perfectly Moliere's climactic spirit that radiate from his plays - it's not the first time as Moliere's The Hypochondriac was performed by Wild Rice in 2008 - and the similarities between Moliere's positioning 4 centuries ago and Ivan positioning today are, in some ways, very similar...

"Each transcription and adaptation of the play to a new environment is a reinvention: new comic springs are emerging and the play carries on towards eternity."

Tartuffe: The Imposter runs from Apr 7 at Wild Rice @ Funan. Tickets from wildrice.com.sg