George Blagden, Sebastian Roché and Olivia Ross are among the latest actors to have joined the West End cast of Tartuffe, alongside the previously announced Paul Anderson and Audrey Fleurot. In the West End’s first ever dual-language production, Molière’s classic comedy re-imagines Tartuffe as a radical American evangelist who uproots the life of a French film tycoon in Hollywood.
Tartuffe will premiere for a limited ten-week West End run at the Theatre Royal Haymarket from Friday 25th May 2018 (Press Night on Tuesday 29th May).
Tickets.
Sebastian Roché will make his West End stage debut as Orgon, a French media mogul living in Hollywood, who unwittingly becomes hoodwinked by Tartuffe. Sebastian’s screen credits include the HBO series Young Pope alongside Jude Law, Man In The High Castle (Amazon) and The Vampire Diaries (The CW). His stage credits include Julie Taymor’s Broadway production of The Green Bird (Mandell Weiss Theater) and Salome opposite Al Pacino (Square Theatre). He also co-stars in the upcoming second season of the Emmy and Golden Globe-nominated series Genius.
George Blagden joins the cast as Damis, Orgon’s son. George’s best-known roles to date have included Grantaire in the film adaptation of Les Misérables (Working Title Films), King Louis XIV in Versailles (BBC Two) and Athelstan in Vikings (Amazon), as well as roles in Black Mirror (Netflix) and Wrath of the Titans (Warner Bros. Pictures).
Olivia Ross plays Mariane, daughter of Orgon and brother of Damis. Olivia’s screen credits to date include playing Mademoiselle Bourienne in War & Peace (BBC One) and Queen Joan in Knightfall (History), as well as stage performances in Blue Stockings, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Henry V (The Globe).
The full cast includes Paul Anderson as Tartuffe (Peaky Blinders, The Revenant), George Blagden as Damis (Versailles, Vikings), Jaz Deol as Valère (The Halcyon, Code of a Killer), Zachary Fall as The Officer (Poldark, Versailles), John Faulkner as Monsieur Loyal (Little Boy Blue, Mary Queen of Scots), Audrey Fleurot as Elmire (Spiral, The Intouchables), Paikan Garutti as Laurent (Songe d’une nuit d’été, Courteline), Annick Le Goff as Madame Pernelle (Le Petit Lieutenant), Claude Perron as Dorine (Amélie, Chrysalis), Sebastian Roché as Orgon (Man in the High Castle, Young Pope), Olivia Ross as Mariane (War & Peace, Shakespeare's Globe: A Midsummer Night's Dream) and Vincent Winterhalter as Cléante (Spiral, Nicolas Le Floch).
L.A. Present day. French media tycoon Orgon has re-located to Tinsel town with his family, his heart set on becoming Hollywood royalty. With a new studio to his name, and a palatial Beverly Hills mansion, his empire seems infallible. But all is not as it seems, as Orgon falls under the seductive spell of Tartuffe, a radical evangelist. So comprehensively has Tartuffe hoodwinked Orgon that he looks set to steal his fortune, drive away his son, seduce his wife and marry his daughter.
Paul Anderson will make his West End debut as Tartuffe, a duplicitous evangelist who holds Orgon’s family under his seductive spell. As well as starring in the hit drama Peaky Blinders (BBC & Netflix) as Arthur Shelby, Paul Anderson has held leading roles in The Revenant (20th Century Fox), Legend (Working Title), In the Heart of the Sea (Warner Bros. Pictures) and Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (Warner Bros. Pictures). Paul Anderson will also appear as Guy of Gisborne in Leonardo DiCaprio’s upcoming Robin Hood film (Summit Entertainment) later in 2018.
Audrey Fleurot will play Elmire, Orgon’s wily wife who endeavours to avoid the beguiling effects of Tartuffe’s charm. Audrey Fleurot’s leading roles have included Joséphine Karlsson in the BAFTA nominated Spiral (Canal + / BBC), Magalie in the multi award-winning international hit film The Intouchables (Quad), Hortense in Un village français (Tétra Média) and as herself in Call My Agent! / Dix pour cent! (Netflix).
As befitting the Theatre Royal Haymarket, which was known to the play-going world as ‘The New French Theatre’ following it’s opening in 1720, this adaptation of Tartuffe will alternate between English with French surtitles and French with English surtitles to reflect the unfolding plot.
Written in 1664, Tartuffe, or The Impostor became regarded as one of Molière’s most celebrated comedies, complete with some of the greatest classical theatre roles. Set present day in Donald Trump’s America, the play’s trenchant mockery of human frailties remains as relevant as ever in this darkly comic adaptation of the classic satire.
www.TartuffePlay.com
CREATIVES
Directed by Gerald Garutti
Adapted by Christopher Hampton
Designed by Andrew D. Edwards
Composed by Laurent Petitgand
Lighting design by Paul Anderson
Sound design by David Gregory
ADDRESS
Theatre Royal Haymarket
18 Suffolk Street
London
SW1Y 4HT
SEASON DATES
Friday 25 May – Saturday 28 July 2018
PRESS NIGHT
Tuesday 29 May at 7.00pm
BOOKING ONLINE
www.trh.co.uk
PERFORMANCE TIMES
Mondays - Saturdays: 7.30pm
Thursdays: 2.30pm
Tickets on sale through our official partner
Ticketmaster.
TELEPHONE BOOKING
020 7930 8800
SOCIAL MEDIA
Facebook: TartuffePlay
Twitter: @TartuffePlay
#TartuffePlay
Adaptor Christopher Hampton is an Academy, BAFTA and Olivier award winning writer and director. His screenplay credits include the Oscar-winning Dangerous Liaisons, Atonement, Ali and Nino and A Dangerous Method. His stage credits include his Olivier Award-winning adaptation of Les Liaisons Dangereuses, Sunset Boulevard, Stephen Ward, and his original plays Appomatox, The Talking Cure, White Chameleon, Treats, Savages and The Philanthropist.
Director Gerald Garutti is the former dramaturg of the French National Theatre (Théâtre National Populaire, 2006-11). In English, he has directed a script-in-hand performance of Dangerous Liaisons for the Royal Shakespeare Company, Notes from the Underground starring Harry Lloyd (The Print Room) and The Fall Of The House Of Usher (Vingtième Théâtre). His latest production in France was the sell out Brief Praise of Night starring Pierre Richard (Théâtre du Rond-Point & touring). He has written, adapted and directed texts including Badly But Quickly (National Theatre, Odéon), Correspondence For Three (Le Printemps des Poètes), The Hunters of the Absolute (France Culture), A Century of Fury (Brangues), The Sense of Desire (Odéon), Haim – In The Light Of A Violin (Salle Gaveau, national tour for four seasons) and Lorenzaccio (Théâtre National La Criée).
Oliver King for Wild Yak – Producer
Oliver studied history at Durham University before training as an actor at Drama Centre London. His producing and general management credits include: Queens of Syria (Young Vic and UK Tour), Three Comrades, Two for the Seesaw and Three Sisters (Piccadilly Theatre), Requiem for Aleppo (Sadler’s Wells & Touring), And Here I Am (Cheltenham Everyman Theatre and UK Tour), The Mossovet State Theatre’s Three Sisters and Uncle Vanya (Wyndham’s Theatre), Donkey Heart (Trafalgar Studios), Luce (Southwark Playhouse), A Dashing Fellow, An Imaginary Circus (New Diorama Theatre), A Warsaw Melody (Arcola Theatre), Sunstroke (Platform Theatre), Piranha Heights (Old Red Lion), Lunch (Edinburgh, Vault Festival and Touring), Mary Postgate and Hansel & Gretel (Edinburgh Festival) and the documentary The World to Hear, due for release shortly.
www.wildyak.co.uk
Lee Menzies – Co Producer
Lee Menzies is one of the West End’s most prolific and long established producers. His current and recent productions include the National Theatre’s production of Network,, Top Hat (UK Tour), the Chichester Festival Theatre and Birmingham Repertory Theatre production of The King’s Speech (UK Tour), the world premiere of From Here To Eternity (Shaftesbury Theatre), the Mossovet State Theatre company’s Uncle Vanya and Three Sisters (Wyndham’s Theatre), the first ever stage version of Irving Berlin’s Top Hat (Olivier Award, Best New Musical, Aldwych Theatre), Our Boys (Duchess Theatre), Leonard Bernstein’s Wonderful Town (UK Tour), Yes, Prime Minister (West End and three UK Tours), Crazy For You (Novello Theatre), David Grindley’s multi award winning production of Journey’s End (Duke of York’s Theatre & UK Tour) Dominic West in Simon Gray’s Butley (Duchess Theatre), Andrew Lloyd Webber and Don Black’s definitive version of Tell Me on a Sunday (UK Tour) and a new production of the Noël Coward revue Cowardy Custard, the multi-award-winning Jerusalem starring Mark Rylance (Apollo Theatre), Enron (Broadhurst, New York), Prick Up Your Ears (Comedy Theatre), Twelfth Night (Noël Coward Theatre), Otherwise Engaged (UK Tour and Criterion Theatre), Donkeys’ Years (Comedy Theatre, three Olivier Award nominations including Best Revival) and Whipping It Up with Richard Wilson (Ambassadors Theatre, Olivier Award nomination for Best New Comedy).
