Originally published by L.S. Media. September 14th 2011.
Cast: Hiran Abeysekera, Joseph Alessi, Eithne Browne, Simon Coates, Annabelle Dowler, Ilan Goodman, Rebecca Lacey, Emily Pithon, Alan Stocks, Colin Tierney.
There is nothing like welcoming an old friend back into your life and in the modern stand out poetry of Roger McGough and the timeless humour of Moliere, the Liverpool Playhouse opened its new season to a play that was first viewed by local audiences as the city celebrated being the Capital of Culture in 2008.
Roger McGough’s adaptation of Moliere’s Tartuffe has everything you need to get a new season underway, it has even more to offer the Playhouse as its 100th anniversary celebrations rapidly approach. Excellent writing from one of the masters of the stage, the local brevity and honest humour of a Liverpool genius, excellent directing from Gemma Bodinetz and a cast that, simply put, were fantastic, have made this a play that just shouldn’t be seen just the once! It deserves to be attended over and over again.
Reworked and renamed The Imposter a couple of years after the original version was banned in 1667, Moliere’s satirical look at the ease of how hypocrisy and cleverly spun lies of any form can hoodwink and deceive people is still fresh and current to this day.
Colin Tierney gave an exquisite performance as the villain of the piece Tartuffe and seemed to revel in his portrayal of the unholy man in the family’s midst. The scene where they tried to reveal Tartuffe’s real intentions towards them was so well worked and enjoyable to take in that Joseph Alessi as the family head Orgon and the stunning Rebecca Lacey as his wife Elmire could make audiences feel that they have worked together all their lives.
There can be no doubting the enormity of the talent on stage, with Annabelle Dowler, the wonderful Alan Stocks, who proves time and time again to Liverpool audiences that he is a man of immense comic timing and skill and the legend that is Eithne Browne all giving performances that gave the near sell out audience one of those rare nights out in this age of austerity, one laced with laugh after joyful laugh.
It seems that Roger McGough and Moliere were made for each other, the poet and the playwright in each other found a friend and that friendship, with the gentle help of all involved at the Playhouse, has flourished and all for the benefit of theatre audiences.
5 stars
Ian D. Hall