Tartuffe in the Post-Truth Era

Abstract:This article examines how Molière's Le Tartuffe has been reimagined for the British stage in recent years. Gérald Garutti's production using Christopher Hampton's translation (for the West End in 2017), Anil Gupta and Richard Pinto's version (for The Birmingham Repertory theatre and The Royal Shakespeare Company in 2018), and John Donnelly's new version (for the National Theatre in 2019) testify to the play's popularity in a world dominated by fake news and mendacious leaders. I examine the extent to which the prestige and polemical force of the French version are captured and whether, in the process of transformation, something altogether different emerges. I underline how rewriting and transformation are fundamental concepts for understanding how Molière changed his original 1664 text.