Similarities Between The Christian And Tartuffe

Both The Christians and Molière’s Tartuffe explore themes of religion and understanding, although the former takes a more serious approach, while the latter is more light-hearted and satirical. These themes were emphasized in each performance through spectacle, characterization, acting, and their connection with each other, all of which contributed to my understanding and enjoyment of the plays.

The three-quarter thrust stage of the Paul Green Theater was transformed for both plays into a wooden cross, making very clear that both plays would revolve around religion, particularly Christianity. The stage settings for The Christians, designed by Alexis Distler, helped to tell the story of the play by focusing it within a church. The settings were

displayed to look like we were within an actual church, with stained-glass windows, a pulpit, and a choir section. Even the scenes that were not happening within the church, such as the scene where Pastor Paul (Joey Collins) and his wife (Nemuna Ceesay) are discussing his controversial sermon in bed, were occurring on church-like stage. Instead of changing the settings to look like a bedroom, for instance, leaving them sitting on the same settings emphasized the point that these characters’ lives are centered around their religion and this church; their beliefs define who they are and how they interact with others and the world around them. However, while Tartuffe occurred on the same stage, the settings, also designed by Distler, were of a home, rather than a church. Nevertheless, cross imagery was still prevalent on stage, particularly noticeable in the backs of the chairs, which added to my understanding that religion plays a large role in this family’s lives as well. Also, the white and gold color scheme of the stage settings, typically colors associated with purity, contrasted sharply with the dishonesty occurring within the home throughout the play. The different stage settings in both plays highlighted their certainly different settings and plots, but the similarities of the crosses allowed me to see the connection between the themes and subject matters of both plays.
In The Christians, personally, the costumes, designed by Robin Vest, did not stand out to me in any particular way, except for the fact that everyone is dressed in formal church attire, which did contribute to making me feel a part of the play.

I will also mention that I noticed that Pastor Paul was not wearing a tie, while Associate Pastor Joshua (Alex Givens) was, which could be interpreted to reflect their differing personalities. Paul was becoming more free and radical in his beliefs, which was reflected in him only wearing a dress shirt and coat. Joshua, however, was constrained and stricter in his beliefs, which was reflected in his wearing of a tie and an arguably more formal suit. For Tartuffe, however, the costumes, designed by Anne Kennedy, were striking because of their synthesis of modern and old-fashioned styles, emphasizing the idea that hypocrisy, specifically religious hypocrisy, is not just a thing of the past. As Joey Collins announces at the end of the performance, “Molière is gone, but Tartuffe is still here.” Moreover, one particular costume that aided my understanding of the play was the title character’s, as portrayed by Joey Collins. Tartuffe’s outfit is gray, but later in the play, he reveals what is under his suit- a bright red mesh tank top. Because of this costume design, I could tell both physically and metaphorically, how, on the outside Tartuffe appears to be simple and non-threatening, but underneath he is hiding his true wicked self, like a

devil undercover.
For me specifically, the lighting in The Christians, designed by Oliver Wason, was the most influential of all the elements, as the lighting helped to highlight the varying moods of the play, revealing Paul’s emotions throughout the course of the play. For example, at the very beginning of the show, when Pastor Paul was thrilled about his newly debt-free church, and the mood was carefree, you could see the reflections of the stained-glass windows on the stage, as if light was shining through them. The soft, rainbow colors of the lights helped to call attention to the bright and cheerful mood of this particular scene, and also contrasts with the lighting of later scenes, as if it serves as the calm before the storm. The next major lighting change occurs when everyone leaves the church and, consequently, Paul himself. Although they once lit up the entire stage, individual lights begin to go off as each character or group of characters leave, until it is quite dim and the only light is shining on Paul. This highlights the loneliness and hopelessness of Paul, as every “light” in his life- his friends, his congregation, his choir, and even is wife- are quite literally going out around him. Finally, in the scene where Joshua comes back to the church to speak with Pastor Paul, the lighting turns a cold white, as opposed to the warm white lights of previous scenes, to the point where it almost looks blue. In this scene, Joshua, Paul’s adversary, is returning, and he is bringing devastating news. The lighting highlights the coldness of the relationship between Paul and Joshua in this scene, pointing out how the “distance between” the two former friends has become “insurmountable,” leaving them at odds with one another. For Tartuffe, the lighting, again designed by Wason, was not as impactful to me, but one particular lighting choice that stood out the most occurred in the scene where we meet the title character for the first time. All of a sudden, the cross at the top of the stage was lit with a red glow, and then the whole stage was filled with the same red light, as Tartuffe rose from the floor. This emphasized the devil-like qualities of Tartuffe, and contrasted it with his pious mask, while also adding to the comedy of the play, as the color red is stereotypically evil.
The sound design, conceived by Palmer Hefferan, was able to contribute two things to my understanding of The Christians and Tartuffe.

First of all, in The Christians, the music helped to simply add to the feeling of being in a church, specifically by placing the titles in a “church bulletin” inside the program. Also, by having an actual choir (from the United Church of Chapel Hill when I was there) sing the songs, I was able to more effectively believe that I was actually a member of Paul’s congregation. But probably more importantly, the songs themselves showed the audience’s reaction to the events on stage. For example, the prelude hymn, “God’s Unchanging Hand,” is a contrast to what is about to happen in the play. God’s hand may be unchanging, but the beliefs of everyone in this church and what it stands for are about to be turned upside down by Paul’s sermon. Another example of the impact of the music comes with the third hymn, “I Feel Like Going On,” which is sung after the split between Paul and Joshua, when many of the members are leaving, or starting to wonder if they should join those that have already left. The choir sings what the congregation is experiencing; they “feel like” maybe it is time to “go on” too, that Pastor Paul has really just been using them the entire time. In Tartuffe, the most memorable music occurred in the scene transitions that were not in Molière’s original play. The loud, modern French music (combined with the bright, colorful lights), are

reminiscent of a club, and helped to bring the show and its themes into today’s world, while still remaining true to the original French setting. Another sound element that contributed to my understanding of Tartuffe occurred in Act II. When Loyal (David Fine) rings the doorbell to bring bad news, we do not hear the familiar doorbell sound. Instead, the opening notes of Beethoven’s foreboding Symphony No. 5 sound out. This tells us that Loyal is not bringing good news of reconciliation, as Orgon (Ray Dooley) hopes for, that he is instead bringing bad news, as well as adding to the comedy of the scene.