Moliere's Tartuffe Brought to Life on NECC Stage
Brooke Lavoie of Methuen as Dorine (rear) watches Orlik Guzman of Haverhill as Elmire as she talks with Dan Potter of Merrimac who portrays Tartuffe.
Northern Essex Community College students Dan Potter of Merrimac as Tartuffe, Josh Everett of Haverhill at Cleante (rear) Orlik Guzman of Haverhill as Elmire, Brooke Lavoie of Methuen as Dorine, and Michael Johnson of Amesbury as Orgon will appear in NECC's presentation of "Tartuffe" in the Top Notch Theater on the third floor of the Spurk Building on the Haverhill campus Nov. 6,7,12,13, and 14 at 7:30 p.m.
Northern Essex Community College's Top Notch players will present former American poet laureate Richard Wilbur's adaptation of "Tartuffe" November 6, 7, 12, 13, and 14 at 7:30 p.m. in the Top Notch Theater, Third Floor, Spurk Building, Haverhill Campus, 100 Elliott St. Wilbur is an eminent translator of Moliere.
Written and first performed in 1664 it was almost immediately censored by King Louis XIV. The story takes place in the home of the wealthy Orgon, where Tartuffe-a fraud and a pious imposter-has insinuated himself. He succeeds in winning the respect and devotion of the head of the house and then tries to marry his daughter and seduce his wife and scrounge the deed to the property. He nearly gets away with it, but an emissary from King Louis XIV arrives in time to recover the property, free Monsieur Orgon, and haul Tartuffe off to jail. And so his duplicity is finally exposed and punished. But not before the author has mercilessly examined the evil that men can commit in the guise of religious fervor and the dangers that imperil those who would believe only what they choose to believe despite a mountain of evidence to the contrary.
The cast includes Akram Al-Ziab of Haverhill as Monsieur Loyal, Tracy DiJulia of Merrimac, NH as Madame Pernelle, Josh Everett of Newburyport as Cleante, Orlik Guzman of Haverhill as Elmire, Ryan Jennings of Andover as Damis, Michael Johnson of Amesbury as Orgon, Brooke LaVoie of Methuen as Dorine, Sarah McCarthy of Amesbury as Mariane, Jon Moriarty of Newbury as Valere, Richard Mullen of Newburyport as Officer, Dan Potter of Merrimac as Tartuffe. The production stage manager is Maggie Paulino of Lawrence.
The production is directed by NECC professor Jim Murphy and the production design work is by NECC professor Susan Sanders.
Ticket prices are $10 for general admission, $8 for students and seniors, and $6 for 6 and under. Tickets can be purchased at the door or online at MVArts. For more information, call Susan Sanders at 978 556-3374.
With campuses in Haverhill and Lawrence and extension sites in Andover and Methuen, Northern Essex Community College is a state-assisted college, offering over 70 associate degree and certificate programs as well as hundreds of non credit courses designed for personal enrichment and career growth. Close to 13,000 students ranging from recent high school graduates to workers employed locally attend classes days, evenings, and weekends. Northern Essex is the only state college located in the lower Merrimack Valley Region of Massachusetts.