By Matthew Wexler
“I’m not that interested in a version of the play that does an easy equation of Tartuffe equals Trump,” playwright Lucas Hnath told Vogue earlier this fall regarding his adaptation of Molière’s 1664 comedy. Indeed, New York Theatre Workshop’s production casts the title character as an affable grifter rather than an erratic fascist, making for a pleasant enough evening of theater.
An aristocratic family unravels when patriarch Orgon (a brilliantly obtuse David Cross) befriends Tartuffe (Matthew Broderick playing Matthew Broderick in a doublet and breeches), a soft-spoken con man on the prowl to fill his coffers. The entire family sees through the ruse, especially Dorine, the saucy maid (a foul-mouthed and hilarious Lisa Kron), who has little time or energy for the lot of them.
The plot unfolds as one might expect from a satirical comedy of manners, with hiding in closets and under tables par for the course. But Hnath’s version, rooted in Curtis Hidden Page’s early 20th-century translation, is the star of the show. Beginning with Bianca Del Rio’s Mme. Pernelle reading her family on why they all annoy her, Hnath plays with rhyming couplets, ocassionally veering off course with a Sondheimian sense of language. The result: a verbose dis-ease that mirrors Orgon’s increasing stubbornness.
The entire acting company, including Amber Gray as Orgon’s wife, Elmire, and Ryan J. Haddad and Emily Davis as their emotionally stunted children, is superb. Enver Chakartash’s jewel-toned, 17th-century costumes add further frolic, but the quizzical scenic (dots) and sound design (Peter Mills Weiss) may require a program note or edible to comprehend. Are we in a school gym? Detention center? What are those deafening buzzers between scenes? Raja Feather Kelly’s transitional choreography only adds to the confusion in director Sarah Benson’s otherwise smartly crafted production.
Broderick, last seen on Broadway opposite his wife, Sarah Jessica Parker, in Plaza Suite, allows the madness to unfold around him gently. It’s a generous performance that speaks to Hnath’s take. “Cheaters are also easily cheated,” Elmire says as she prepares to trap the imposter, “because they assume they’re the only ones cheating.”
We can only hope.
4 out of 5 stars
It wants better content.
Fast facts: ‘Tartuffe’
Lucas Hnath’s Tartuffe resists easy political parallels, delivering instead a verbally dexterous comedy where Matthew Broderick grifts gently, and the entire ensemble reminds us that cheaters are, indeed, easily cheated.
- New York Theatre Workshop, 79 East 4th Street, New York City
- Running time: Two hours, no intermission
- Performances through January 24, 2026
Have another minute? Discover more Off-Broadway
- Michelle Williams navigates a problematic classic in ‘Anna Christie’ at St. Ann’s Warehouse
- Irish Rep’s radio play adaptation of ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ gets its wings
- ‘Gotta Dance!’ proves Broadway’s best choreography lives on
