Preparing the curtain call: ‘Tartuffe’ laughs at religious hypocrisy

Satirical enthusiasts, it’s time to take the stage.

Starting Oct. 22, Loyola’s Main Stage Productions will debut its second stage performance of the 2026-2027 season — “Tartuffe.”

Running through Nov. 1, the latest addition to Loyola’s theatre repertoire boasts a 17th century concoction of political critique, historical authenticity and religious commentary across a wild ride of comedic couplets.

Director and theatre professor Mark Lococo spoke about the play’s not-so-preposterous plot, informing audiences on what to expect before the company takes center stage.

“‘Tartuffe’ is about a religious imposter during the era of Louis XIV in the French court,” Lococo said. “Tartuffe insinuates himself into the family of Orgon, a very wealthy but gullible French citizen. Comic hijinks ensue.”

Leading actor Ben Watts shone a spotlight on the comedic elements of the production, highlighting its humor as one of the key components of the show.

“It’s very slapstick,” Watts, a fourth-year theatre major, said. “I break almost every single moment on stage, so if I’m breaking, then I think it’s pretty cool.”

The company creation is just as much an academic piece as it is a performance, blending elements of French literature, an accurate English translation and a splash of humorous absurdity into a two-act deliverable. 

According to Lococo, the script is written in rhymed couplets of French alexandrine verse, a longer version of Shakespearean iambic pentameter that’s much harder to recreate. But the show must go on, leaving room for one solution — a sensationally satirical English translation.

“The greatest thing is when a translator manages to maintain the spirit of the original, and the most successful in doing that is Richard Wilbur,” Lococo said. “That’s the translation we’re doing for this.”

Yet there’s much more to “Tartuffe” than witty renditions of theatrical wordplay. 

Second-year theatre and finance major Lynsey Richards plays the maid Doreen — a character offering much more than meets the eye.

“She’s more bold, especially for her to be a maid,” Richards said. “She’s very outspoken, but she pushes in. That’s a quote from the show. She pushes in and has her say.”

Richards also spoke on various themes destined to resonate with audiences in the Newhart Family Theatre — including hypocrisy and power imbalances.

But to Assistant Stage Manager Addison Damptz, one more prominent theme snuck out from stage left during her work with the show.

“There’s definitely a heavy theme of obstruction to marriage,” Damptz, a social work major, said. “Marianne and Valer are our two young lovers, and Orgon has forbidden their marriage because he wants Marianne to marry Tartuffe. Nobody’s having it.”

The theatre minor continued on, referencing specific scene structures of the Main Stage Production audiences should acknowledge leading up to showtime. 

“‘Tartuffe’ uses the concept of Aristotle’s unity of time,” Damptz said. “Within a play, everything takes place within 24 hours. We’re in this one room of the house, we never leave that room, and this all happens within one day.”

The company behind “Tartuffe” understands the show can feel intimidating to new audiences, especially those unfamiliar with the 17th-century lingo signature to Molière’s piece. Still, that didn’t stop any of the show’s contributors from explaining why Ramblers should attend.

“Instead of focusing on the words, focus on the physicality of the character,” Watts said. “Just come to have a fun time, come to have a laugh.”

The leading actress, Richards emphasized the long hours of dedicated rehearsal time where company members researched historically accurate etiquette to their fullest extent.

“We’ve done a lot of research based on how this period was, with it being such a period piece,” Richards said. “We learned about fan etiquette. We learned about the different positions of standing. So a lot of stuff that I didn’t know about that was fun to learn about.”

As the ultimate motivator for attendance, the backstage warrior Damptz declared one final stage mic-dropping note — relevance to modern day.

“It is honestly very relevant to our day of people blindly believing somebody just because they believe them to be of a higher degree of integrity, even though they haven’t fact-checked any of that,” Damptz said. “I think it’s really relevant to what we’re living through.”

Watts agrees, articulating the importance of keeping theatre alive time and time again.

“It’s always important to express things that you believe in or things you like,” Watts said. “Molière specifically wrote it to be hypocritical of the Catholic Church. It’s awesome that we still see the resemblance of hypocrisy in some ways.”

Lococo added to this conversation, arguing theatre directly exhibits the pillars of the Jesuit mission.

“There is always the joy of artistic expression that comes from performing and convincing and showing an audience something,” Lococo said. “But there’s something deeper to it, something a little bit more spiritual, and that is to present art into the world that’s a positive force.”

Throughout the equally tiresome and rewarding process, the company of “Tartuffe” has expressed a unanimous appreciation for the show — an appreciation for the talents of its contributors and the story they’ve managed to tell.

“Everybody on it thus far is at the top of their game,” Lococo said. “They understand what their goals are, what they’re doing and what they’ve got in their hands. Now we’re just ready to put it on its feet.”

Tickets for “Tartuffe” at the Newhart Family Theatre are available for purchase on the university’s ticketing website.  for both weekends between Oct. 22 and Nov. 1.