Fringe Theatre: Tartuffe – Holden Street Theatres – 3.5K

By Peter Maddern

Moliere’s classic is relocated to a 1940s Scotch living room and remodeled by Liz Lochwood into a rude, rhyming romp. So embedded is the work produced by the Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh in its setting that sur-titles are required for the less well equipped Antipodean ear.

All the cast revel in their roles; Harry Ward as the gullible Oregon, Andy Clark as the unctuous Tartuffe, Joyce Falconer as the loud Dorine and Nicola Ray as the defiant Elmire.

Squeezed into an hour this show seems a bit truncated; the set up not fully explained, the final twist a little underdeveloped. Still it makes for a fun hour at Holden Street and sustains Martha Lott’s excellent reputation for bringing fine work to our Fringe. The rhyme developed by writer Lochwood is also worth the price of admission.

Kryztoff Rating   3.5K