Chilling as ever, as Wild Rice revisits how an insidious con can lead to total ruin.

There are many sayings about religion, but one that continues to ring true even today is how it remains the last refuge of a scoundrel. Nowhere is that seen more clearly than in Wild Rice’s adaptation of French playwright Molière’s satirical play Tartuffe, which examines how in the hands of a criminal, religion becomes far too convenient a means to hoodwink and cheat one’s way into power and riches.

Directed by Glen Goei and adapted by Joel Tan, Tartuffe remains an outrageous delight, both when it was first staged in 2022, and again in 2024, where it now marks the opening of the 2024 edition of vOilah! France Singapore Festival. As a literary cultural touchstone for the French, Molière’s beloved works have been performed for centuries, and with Wild Rice’s version, is given urgency and new life in its reinterpretation. Maintaining roughly the same narrative as the original work, Tartuffe sees a wealthy family come apart when con artist Tartuffe (Benjamin Chow) enters under guise of a man of faith, persuading head of the household Orgon (Ivan Heng) to allow him control over everything, in the hopes of edging ever closer to heaven in the afterlife.

Orgon is of course, blinded by devotion, and considered a fool by his entire household, who are the furthest thing from Christian – the entire play opens with a sultry dance number set to the anachronistic ‘Lady Mamalade’, showing off Frederick Lee’s lavish French-inspired corsetry and petticoats, in the hopes that it would knock Orgon back to his senses. Tartuffe is initially all fun and games – while Tartuffe has clearly brainwashed Orgon into doing his bidding, there are plenty of laughs to be had as we watch the rest of the family bicker amongst each other, not yet aware of the havoc about to be wreaked upon them.

To that end, writer Joel Tan has taken the play to its excesses, constantly pushing the needle and attempting to elicit gasps from how far the cast is willing to offend delicate sensibilities. World-wise daughter Mariane (Oon Shu An) attempts to win her freedom by marrying the foppish Valère (Shane Mardjuki), who is in reality, involved in a torrid, illicit and illegal homosexual affair with Mariane’s brother Damis (Dennis Sofian). There are no rules – everything from simulated oral sex, to false penises make an appearance, each antic trying to outdo the last. The anachronism comes as a shock at times, with the casual usage of vulgarities often jarring with the play’s costume drama, and while there are times these bring nervous laughter, for the most part they begin to lose their power the more they are used.

These are matched by the salacious and pun-filled dialogue – in attempting to expose Tartuffe, Orgon’s wife Elmire (Jo Tan) subverts biblical references by corrupting them with lusty overtones, all the while taunting Tartuffe’s holiness preventing him from consummating. To counter this, Tartuffe tries to reason and in turn twist the verses to defend himself, reflecting the abstract nature of the Word, and how given a clever enough linguist, any sentence can be perverted and wielded to suit one’s own needs. While the first attempt is foiled, the second, involving a well-hidden Orgon falling victim to Tartuffe’s ‘tumescence’, is a success, where Orgon is finally shamed by his own ignorance, and Ivan’s initial commanding presence shatters, left meek and embarrassed at the precarious situation the family has been placed in.

It is precisely this lawless world that Tartuffe occupies, where it is up to each individual’s trickery to win each other over. But it is also this wilderness that opens up the potential for far more serious consequences to emerge if left unchecked, and Tartuffe takes full advantage of this, going beyond camp to plunge deep into its dark undertones, allowing the evil in Tartuffe to fester and completely take over the remainder of the play. As comical and harmless as Tartuffe initially appears, pale-faced and vampiric in black, Benjamin Chow understands the parasitic nature of his character, and how insidious his plans really are. By the time the family reveals the truth to Orgon, it is already too late, and the play overwhelms with its feelings of helplessness and despair at how inescapable Tartuffe’s clutches are.

Under Glen Goei’s direction, the cast keeps up the energy required of such a farcical work throughout its runtime, no mean feat considering how heavy and thick the costumes and wigs are. The cast nail their comic timings and line delivery, alongside larger than life physical comedy, and their chemistry allows them to bounce off each other’s line deliveries. There’s often nervous giggles and even the occasional guffaw, making the comedy aspect of Tartuffe overall a success. But behind the pink hued set and the colourful costumes, Tartuffe is a pitch black play that leaves one more in despair than hope, due to the alternative ending Joel Tan has written for it.

With the family backed up against a corner, each attempt to defeat Tartuffe thwarted, they eventually bring out the big guns, going all the way to the king (Pam Oei) to reveal his string of crimes that follow him from country to country. To their horror, Tartuffe has already beaten them to the chase, and wormed his way into becoming the king’s advisor, similarly convincing him with the promise of heaven, and to crack down harder on the freedoms Orgon’s family have enjoyed, many of which are seen to be sinful and unchristian. It is on that note that Tartuffe draws to a close, reminding us all how easy it is to be duped, and the severe consequences that await if these parasites aren’t nipped in the bud.

Since 2022 when it first premiered, Singapore has repealed the long outdated section 377A law criminalising sex between men. But even in its wake, Tartuffe remains terrifyingly relevant, in how the seemingly pious and pure are sometimes the ones that end up doing the most harm in society, wreaking havoc and ruining families and lives. But if one continues to turn the other cheek and remain blindly faithful, then no amount of shouting or screaming will convince the converted, and by the time it infects a country’s leaders, then it is already too late. Ending with a chilling warning where Tartuffe breaks the fourth wall and directly addresses the audience, we too are left to wonder how many such creatures have already wormed their way into our midst, and how many of those who claim to be religious really do have the country’s best interests at heart, or would rather laugh as they watch it burn.

Tartuffe: The Imposter played from 4th to 28th April 2024 at Wild Rice @ Funan. More information available here

Production Credits:

Playwright Molière Adapter Joel Tan Director Glen Goei Cast Ivan Heng, Benjamin Chow, Pam Oei, Oon Shu An, Jo Tan, Shane Mardjuki, Brendon Fernandez, Dennis Sofian, Kelly Choo, Gabbie Liew, Ai Wen, Andrei Rasmussen Set Designer Wong Chee Wai Lighting Designer Tai Zi Feng Composer Julian Wong Costume Designer Frederick Lee Choreographer Amin Alifin Prop Designer Joyce Gan Hair Designer Ashley Lim Make-Up Designer Bobbie Ng