STAGE REVIEWS : The Two Faces of ‘Tartuffe’ : Chapman Captures Hypocrisy and Humor of Moliere’s Farce

The farcical delights of “Tartuffe,” Moliere’s 17th-Centurycomedy of manners about false piety and self-delusion, get a snappy treatment in the undergraduate production now on stage at Chapman University’s Waltmar Theatre.

I usually go to a collegiate staging of a classic with some trepidation, because the text--regardless of its greatness--is too easily colored by amateur handling. The impression that lasts, even if you reread the written words, is not what you absorb from the page but what you’ve seen in production. In this case, happily, Moliere survives intact. This “Tartuffe” captures the antic tone and vivid quality of its drawing-room caricatures without distorting their essential meaning.

Tartuffe (Alex Brewer-Disarufino) provides the requisite touch of evil, despite a somewhat unfocused performance that lacks real authority or bite. And his chief target, Orgon (Dave Dahl), carries on with the appropriate bluster of a pompous fool, though the performance relies too much on stentorian recitation.

But because the first act of nearly an hour and a half is dominated by the maid, Dorine (Anastasia Coon), who is Moliere’s sensible and saucy mouthpiece, we’re in great luck: Coon gives a sterling performance. Both deft and sassy, she is vibrantly alive to every moment. Her work seems effortless and is sheer entertainment to watch.

This production has several other major advantages:

* All the players, virtually across the board, deliver Richard Wilbur’s witty, rhymed translation with clarity and even pungency;

* The pace rarely lags, in part because the many entrances and exits have snap;

* The comic set pieces work. The lovers’ tiff between Mariane (Kelleigh Holloway) and Valere (Christopher Zinovitch) has arch piquancy, for example, and the bogus seduction of Tartuffe by Elmire (Angelique Adams) has unmistakable zest.

In many other instances, director Thomas F. Bradac shows how to motivate a largely inexperienced cast.

Technically, the scenic design of three grand double doors and flanking closets is more than adequate (though you have to wonder about the peasant-style tablecloth at stage center in such an elegant household).

The stage is flooded with white light, which lends the production a certain crispness. And the costumes are brightly done in primary colors. The cheap material, however, makes them look merely serviceable.

‘Tartuffe’

Emily Delk: Madame Pernelle

Dave Dahl: Orgon

Angelique Adams: Elmire

Andy Rose: Damis

Kelleigh Holloway: Mariane

Christopher Zinovitch: Valere

J. Dustin Milberg: Cleante

Alex Brewer-Disarufino: Tartuffe

Anastasia Coon: Dorine

Matthew Larsen: Bailiff

Adam Schiffer: Police Officer

Jacqueline E. Stickel: Flipote

A Chapman University presentation of the play by Moliere. Directed by Thomas F. Bradac. Produced by the Chapman School of Communication Arts, Theatre and Dance Department. Scenic design by Craig Brown. Lighting by Stacey Westbrook. Costume design by Iris Gerbasi. Sound by Brown. Hair design by Cynthia Wilson. At the Waltmar Theatre, 310 E. Palm St., Orange. Continues Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m; Sunday at 4 p.m. $6; students free. (714) 997-6812.