The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey opens their 2018 season this week with a presentation of Tartuffe. This marks the first time since 2001 that Tartuffe will play at the Madison, NJ theater. Written by Molière, this French comedy is described as follows:
Tartuffe, the consummate con man, hypocrite, and womanizer, meets his match under Molière’s deft pen. A masterpiece of biting social commentary brilliantly enclosed in a swirl of witty verse, outrageous characters, and delightful machinations; the 17th century family featured in this serious comedy will feel very familiar to 21st century Americans.
Artistic Director Bonnie J. Monte directs this production. Renowned translator Richard Wilbur brings Molière’s witty words to life for English-speaking audiences.
Casting includes Brent Harris (Tartuffe), Patrick Toon (Orgon), William Sturdivant (Cléante), Victoria Mack (Dorine), Aaron McDaniel (Damis), Sarah Nicole Deaver (Mariane), Drew Dix (Monsieur Loyal), Caroline Kinsolving (Elmire), Garrett Gray and Mark Hawkins.
Purchase tickets at The F.M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre located at 36 Madison Avenue in Madison or by calling the Box Office at 973-408-5600 or by going online at www.ShakespeareNJ.org. Various cost-saving opportunities for tickets are available, including $15 student rush tickets, which are available 30 minutes prior to each performance with a valid student ID and a limited number of Pay What You Can tickets.
know the show
There are opportunities for the audience to learn more about the play by attending the Symposium Series performances. These performances offer a post-show discussion with the cast and artistic staff. For Tartuffe, the Symposium Series performances will be held following the Tuesday, May 22 at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, May 26 at 2:00 p.m., and Saturday, June 2 at 2:00 p.m. performances.
Additionally, the Know the Show pre-show talks are offered free-of-cost. Prior to the show, an artist from The Shakespeare Theatre presents a pre-performance talk providing background information and an inside perspective on the production. This program is free with the purchase of a performance ticket. This presentation for Tartuffe will be held on Thursday, May 24 at 7:00 p.m., with the show beginning at 8:00 p.m.
Additional services
The Shakespeare Theatre offers Open Caption performances on the first Sunday performance of every Main Stage production. The Open Caption performance for Tartuffe will be on Sunday, May 20 at 7:30 p.m.