by Liz Lochhead
Ed Littlewood Productions in Association with Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh, The Stephen Dunn Theatre Fund and Holden Street Theatres – Adelaide 2020
- “Moliere himself might well have relished its pace, flair and earthy hilarity” – ★★★★ The Scotsman
- “The cast give it pure laldy” – ★★★★ The Herald
- ‘One of the funniest hours of comic theatre on this year’s Fringe’ – ★★★★ – The Herald on Sunday
- ‘Moliere himself might well have relished its pace, flair and earthy hilarity’ – ★★★★ – The Scotsman
- ‘Delightfully compact new version’ – ★★★★ – The Stage
- ‘A stellar cast… An hour well-spent’ ★★★★ – UK Theatre Network
- ‘Gallus Gallic comedy at its finest – Highly Recommended’ ★★★★ – Daily Mail
ADELAIDE FRINGE 2020 – REVIEWS
“If you only make it to a couple or so Fringe shows at Holden Street Theatres this year, certainly make Tartuffe one of them as it’s pure gold from start to finish.” – ★★★★★ Global Media Post
“Tartuffe was a sell out in Edinburgh, and I’d be very surprised if it doesn’t do just as well in Adelaide. It deserves to do so.”- ★★★★★ 5MBS
“It is nice to enjoy a classic tale retold so well.” – ★★★★1/2 Glam Adelaide
“This play is a riot – fast-paced, irreverent,witty, peppered with slapstick and rolling in broad Scottish dialogue. ” – ★★★★1/2 All About Entertainment
“Wit, wiles and wicked behaviour make Liz Lochhead’s playfully poetic and politically incorrect adaptation of Tartuffe an outrageous confection from start to finish.” – ★★★★ The Advertiser
“This production is no imposter, it is the real deal.” – ★★★★ The Serenade Files
“There’s never been a Fringe offering quite like it and daresay there never will again.”- ★★★★ The Barefoot Review
“Bold, unique, and full of sly gags, this is theatre at its best.”- ★★★★ Fest Mag
“Come and have a wee laugh why don’t you!” – ★★★★ The Clothesline
”But this is a special show that can take linguistic confusion and spin it into absolute charm – turning the theatre’s inner-arches into sounding boards for an entertaining take on an uproarious comedic-melodrama.” – ★★★★ Fest Magazine
”the five-star cast do a grand job of cranking up the laughs. Falconer and Ward, in particular, bring a touch of clowning genius to their roles, torqueing face and body into eye-wateringly hilarious expressions of their inner emotions.”- ★★★★ InDaily
“A lovely comedy that will have you laughing and barracking for the “good guys” in the room. Make sure you make the effort this Fringe to get to the Holden Street Theatre’s and see this production”- 8/10 Eventalaide
“Be sure to put this one on your list of Fringe productions to see this year.” – Broadway World
“Like single malt, the Scots dialect is delicious to hear. This Tartuffe is a wee treasure.” – The Australian
“A brilliant addition of this year’s Adelaide Fringe Festival and is highly recommended.” –Stage Whispers
Liz Lochhead’s un-P.C., rude, rhyming cut of Moliere’sclassic relocated to a Scotch livingroom of the 1940’s. Conman Tartuffe, with his perfect mark in gullible paterfamilias, will ruin them all. Unless, together, trophy-wife and sassy maid prevail? This play puts on the table: sex. Men and women using itagainst each other. You have to laugh!
Starring Andy Clark (Tartuffe), Joyce Falconer (Dorine), Grant O’Rourke (Orgon), and Nicola Roy (Elmire). First presented as A Play, A Pie and A Pint production at Òran Mór, Glasgow, Tartuffe is directed by Tony Cownie and presented in association with The Stephen Dunn Theatre Fund and supported by Scene Change Productions.
Web: www.lyceum.org.uk Twitter: @lyceumtheatre
Liz Lochhead‘s last original play was the Royal Lyceum’s 2016 Thon Man Moliere. Full-length versions of Tartuffe, School for Wives (Educating Agnes) and Le Misanthrope (Miseryguts) could indicate Moliere obsession? She insists she’s as at home with Greek tragedies, adapting Chekhov or her own plays, including Blood and Ice, Mary Queen of Scots Got Her Head Chopped Off, Britannia Rules, Three Sisters, What Goes Around, Thebans, Good Things, Perfect Days, Medea. Liz was Makar, a.ka. National Poet of Scotland, from 2011 to 2016, was awarded the Queen’s Gold Medal for Poetry 2015, and recently became Honorary President of the Scottish Society of Playwrights. Suddenly septuagenarian, she says working with frequent-collaborator Tony and this fantastic cast on this further revival of her Oran Mor full-tilt ‘Classic Cuts’ Tartuffe has made her feel so young!
Tony Cownie –Royal Lyceum Theatre Credits include – The Belles Stratagem, Thon Man Moliere, The Venetian Twins, Long Day’s Journey Into Night, A Taste of Honey, Mary Queen of Scots Got her Head Chopped Off (co-prod with Dundee Rep), Educating Agnes, Romeo and Juliet, The Cherry Orchard, The Beauty Queen of Leenane, Laurel and Hardy, A Life in the Theatre, The Taming of the Shrew, Miseryguts, Beauty and the Beast, The Comedy of Errors, Britannia Rules, Three Sisters, The Hypochondriak. Other Theatre Includes Breaking The Ice, A Change in Management, Backpacker Blues, Tartuffe, Jocky WilsonSaid, Hot Water(A Play, A Pie and A Pint). What Goes Around. Aladdin,(Cumbernauld Theatre). Aladdin, Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty,(King’s Theatre, Glasgow); The Woman Who Cooked Her Husband (tour) Snow White (His Majesty’s Aberdeen) Shanghaied, (Nippy Sweeties) Tutti Frutti (National Theatre of Scotland) A Joke(Universal Arts).
The Royal Lyceum Theatre Companyis Scotland’s leading producing theatre, led by Artistic Director David Greig. With a strong reputation for excellence in both classical and contemporary work The Lyceum is committed to developing Scotland’s considerable indigenous talents while presenting the best of international drama. The company has been resident at the Royal Lyceum Theatre since 1965 and has been shaped by artistic and associate directors including Tom Fleming, Ian Woolridge, Kenny Ireland, Bill Bryden and Richard Eyre.
Throughout its long history, the company has welcomed many stars to its stage including David Tennant, Alan Cumming and Emily Mortimer to Tony Conti, Ian McKellan and Marlene Dietrich. In Season 2015/16 the company celebrated its 50th anniversary. www.lyceum.org.uk
Scene Change Productions– a charitable incorporated organisation supporting innovative, high quality productions and learning and participation experiences. SCP collaborate with and commission performers, workshop leaders / artists and creatives worldwide who are leaders in the industry. SCP provides engaging experiences that challenge an audience’s preconceptions of arts participation and performance, working with like-minded partners to create challenging, commercial, didactic work raising England and Scotland’s local, national and international cultural profiles.www.scenechangeproductions.org