Moliere, artful and ageless

Fizzy anticipation precedes “Tartuffe” at the Actors’ Gang. Something special seems imminent, from the “T” monograms that dot Sybil Wickersheimer’s cheesecloth-swaddled set to the eclectic bounce of David Robbins’ pre-show music.

Brassy yowls herald Jean Baptiste Poquelin, alias Moliere (Lorenzo Gonzalez, who doubles as Cleante). His hilarious greeting, en francais (dryly translated in voice-over by Anna Sommer), defends the church-maligned 1664 masterwork, yanking our cellphone focus into antique alert. The traditional Comedie-Francaise raps hit the floor, and Moliere’s timeless assault on hypocrisy sears anew.

The challenge in reviving this saga of wealthy sap Orgon (the outstanding P. Adam Walsh) and the falsely pious title fungus (an insidious Andrew Wheeler) is blending the lowbrow farce and sinister satire. David Ball’s sassy Theatre de la Jeune Lune adaptation etches the verse in presentational strokes that convey modern tastes. Orgon and his gorgon mother (Mary Eileen O’Donnell) sport commedia masks and black attire, while his agitated household wears color-coded brocade that tweaks their classic functions (costume designer Ronda Dynice Brooks has fun with sight gags).

As Walsh’s Orgon launches the exposition with a Bible Belt twang, it’s clear this “Tartuffe” can address modern morals without losing buffo values. With the trapdoor entrance of Wheeler’s flagellant Tartuffe all bets are off, with uproarious results.

Jon Kellam’s staging ingests the un-PC vulgarity, civic point and wicked ad-libs of Ball’s text with rapt vitality. The designs are witty, especially Wickersheimer’s Baroque mansion with a mind of its own, and Bosco Flanagan’s lighting knits darkness and sunshine. Live percussionist Weston Walls cannot be overestimated.

Neither can the actors, an inspired corps. Besides Wheeler and Walsh, Sabra Williams’ fearless Dorine, O’Donnell’s raucous crone and the audacious lovers of Lindsley Allen and Simon Anthony attain absolute lunacy. Matt Huffman’s petulant Damis, Nancy Stone’s elegant Elmire, Gonzalez’s consternated Cleante and underlings Mark Lewis, Chris Schultz and Angela Berliner are subtler but equally delicious. Even the summation by Sommer, as Louis XIV’s alleged second wife, is memorable. They have a blast, and so do we.

*

‘Tartuffe’

Where: Actors’ Gang Theatre, 6209 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood

When: 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays

Ends: April 9

Price: $25

Contact: (323) 465-0566 or www.theactorsgang.com

Running time: 2 hours, 15 minutes