The introduction to the world of Tartuffe (Remixed) thrilled me. A lavish pink upholstered couch outlined the perimeter, setting the stage for the wealth and decadence that the Afolabi-Williams family will struggle to hold on to. Afrobeats welcomed the audience into this Nigerian-Jamaican household, with music from artists such as G4 Boys, Asake and Mavo. Like the Afolabi-Williams characters, these artists represent Nigerian and African diaspora communities that have become such a force in popular culture today.
The play is as much about how these communities relate to one another as it is about Molière’s 362-year-old French comedy. It is a comic plot that continues to converse with the modern age, where internet charlatans still bewitch vulnerable people and scam households out of their fortunes. So begins our play, as a beautiful union of two Black families is threatened by the arrival of Pastor Blake (Tartuffe), portrayed by Mark Rylance.
Rylance is brilliant with the language, in the same way that water from a mountain spring is clear. The words flow out of him with a dexterity that allows the audience to relax, knowing we are in the palm of his hand. Rylance does all this while wearing an enormous set of false front teeth, which makes the comedy of his fictitious devotion all the more effective.
His scene as Pastor Blake seducing Elmire, played by Nakeba Buchanan, is the standout moment of the show. The lifting of that mask of insincere piety is handled with immaculate confidence by Rylance. The scene has him half-naked, which had the audience cackling and groaning as he objectifies a Black woman in her own home. All of this works because Rylance’s rhythm flows so naturally through the iambic pentameter couplets. He lands the rhymes without slowing down and perfectly balances the demands of the plot with respect for the text. And what a script it is.
Writer and director Darren Raymond has done a wonderful job of reframing Tartuffe. To incorporate the plot of Molière’s comedy while also tackling themes of immigration, colonialism and generational divides is no easy feat. If you see this production, do yourself a favour and read Raymond’s director’s note in the programme. He has put so much of his personal experience into Tartuffe (Remixed) as the child of Nigerian and Jamaican immigrants.
Generational divides propel much of the plot in Tartuffe (Remixed), recontextualising Molière’s original to speak to the experiences of so many families: families in which the moral values of immigrant parents and grandparents clash with those of younger people raised in a completely different world. Raymond addresses this in his director’s note, writing of ‘young people learning that identity is not something they must choose between, but something they are free to inherit, question and redefine’.
One actor who masterfully navigates this divide is breakout star Morenike Onajobi as Nigerian family friend Kemi (Dorine).
I was baffled when, after the final bows, Mark Rylance announced that this production was Onajobi’s professional debut. She hits the stage with such force, driving the plot, flowing through the language and holding the audience in a way that recalls Rylance himself. Dorine’s original role as the servant who plots Tartuffe’s downfall finds a fantastic counterpart here in the conflict between Kemi and Pastor Blake.
From the beginning of the play, Kemi’s distaste for Pastor Blake’s holier-than-thou performance is handled with excellent artistry by Onajobi. She lets the wit and banter run easily, sharing just enough with the audience that I wanted to cheer every single time she put Pastor Blake in his place.
The only parts of the show I cared less for were those moments when some of the actors seemed to get too caught up in the language. There were performances that made me wonder whether there was a lack of familiarity with Raymond’s script. I say this only because performers such as Onajobi and Rylance flow through the language with such ease, highlighting many of the great choices Raymond has made in this reinterpretation.
Overall, Tartuffe (Remixed) offers a fascinating peek into a world that many regular theatre-goers might otherwise never encounter, while skilfully demonstrating how the classics can continue to speak to our modern world.
Comedy
Tartuffe (Remixed)
Written and Directed by Darren Raymond
Music By Duramaney Kamara
Cast Includes Mark Rylance, Nakeba Buchanan, Craig Blake, Usifu Jalloh
Until 24th October
2 hr 30 mins with a 15 mins interval
Photo Credit, Mark Senior