Molière: Tartuffe

Translated from French by Aleksys CHURGINAS. Director Oskaras Koršunovas: “Tartuffe is a ‘hero’ of our time. A perfect conformist, careerist, pragmatist and libertine. To achieve his goals, this character will stop at nothing. Of course, in the production he does not pretend to be a saint; rather, he is an excellent public relations specialist who understands that there is no better tool for deceiving the gullible than morality, which he cynically manipulates. Hypocrisy and lies are merely image-making for him, while enriching himself at others’ expense is proof of strength and superiority. Tartuffes have always professed the ‘religion’ of the day. In Molière’s time they had infiltrated the Church, in Soviet times the Party, and today they are wherever Mammon is: in banks, politics, and so on. They are always ideologically correct and can cloak the worst deeds in the finest words. The global financial crisis is a consequence of Tartuffism. This comedy is especially relevant in Lithuania today, where Tartuffism is flourishing. In this production I do not adhere solely to classicist conventions: there are both textual and action-based provocations. Molière himself sets interesting conditions for the production. This author is sharp and relevant. No play in the world has ever caused such a great scandal as Tartuffe. It was the first dramatic work to become an international event, setting one of the greatest powers against the most influential authority, the mega-state of the Papal court. In Lithuania, I see Tartuffism not in the Church but among today’s civil servants, in contemporary politics and business, where beautiful phrases abound, but corruption lies behind them. How easily and cynically people are manipulated through the propaganda tools of public relations... This is recognizable in the production. Unfortunately, the next generation is no more honest. It is simply better prepared for this manipulation, which was especially evident in the liberals’ scandal. The liberals spoke openly about coming to smash corruption, but offered us the biggest slice of the corruption pie, which we are now carving up.”