Review: TARTUFFE (REMIXED) at Marylebone Theatre

Leading the troupe of players as the unscrupulous conman Pastor Blake, Mark Rylance plays his priest as a bucktoothed (think Alec Guinness in The Ladykillers), bastion of piety. Clutching his gold embossed Bible at all times and with a quotable excerpt of scripture ready to dispense, he wheedles and inveigles his way into a position of trust and influence with the head of a Nigerian household Oga Afolabi (Usifu Jalloh) whose willingness to accept the word of a relatively unknown priest over that of his wife, son and other trusted family members, is nearly his undoing.

The original 1664 play scandalised the devouts of Louis XIV’s court who saw Molière’s creation of a charismatic scoundrel who serves the church but also attempts to line his own pockets, as wholly sacrilegious. Here, elders (similarly to King Louis) fall under the spell of a good performance, while ‘the court’ (extended, largely younger family members) challenge the unquestioning faith being shown towards an obvious charlatan. It’s a neat juxtaposition which resonates with modern opinions of the church, its faltering reputation, and the wider role which faith has to play in society - particularly among black Anglican communities.

Brought together under the Intermission Ensemble umbrella (including Intermission Youth) elements of the play were decidedly under-rehearsed on opening night and a lack of familiarity with props was something of an issue, but such matters will bed-in over the course of the run and will largely go unnoticed by the average theatregoer. What does come through loud and clear is the phenomenal cast camaraderie, with performers helping each other through momentary lapses in delivery of the rhyming couplets and other ‘live theatre’ challenges.

Visually, the show is a feast, with the costume design team led by ULTZ (with noteworthy contributions from Maybelle Laye and Shola Ajayi) evidently enjoying a healthy budget which has resulted in several changes for each player. Given that the story takes place during the run-up to a wedding, this offers particular opportunities to add colour and spectacle drawn from the families’ distinct cultures. It is to be hoped that this aspect of the production is recognised come awards season.

Talking of awards season, as anyone who has ever seen him on stage will know, Rylance is a notorious scene stealer, but he is also an incredibly giving mentor and his involvement with Intermission’s Youth group is a labour of love which is paying enormous dividends. Among the new faces embarking upon their professional careers Morenike Onajobi as Kemi, made a notable debut demonstrating an innate sense for stage timing and delivery. Other stand-out performers for me, included Christopher Mbaki as D-Miz, Suzette Llewellyn as a blindly god-praising Grandma and Nakeba Buchanan as wronged wife Elmire who when confronted by Sir Mark Rylance in his underpants and on his knees, provided a model lesson in self-restraint and keeping it real.

Over all then, a refresh which speaks to multiculturalism, loyalty, traditions, and in a world which daily gives us cause to question established truth, a healthy and appropriate dose of cynicism.

TARTUFFE (REMIXED) plays 2 hours 30 mins with interval and continues at Marylebone Theatre until 24th October.

Tartuffe (Remixed) Tickets