Review: TARTUFFE (REMIXED), starring Mark Rylance

Adapting classical theatre for a new audience is an exciting task and Darren Raymond has relocated Molière’s farce to a Nigerian-Jamaican family living in England. We are all preparing for Adanna and Sinclair’s impending nuptials, with relatives from both sides gathering at her childhood home. When Oga, Adanna’s father, invites Pastor Blake to stay, alarm bells go off for the younger generation. The smooth talking, duplicitous, sleazy old man infiltrates the household, feigning piety. The core of Molière’s work props up a vibrant production that’s infused with colour and music. Written in rhyming verse, this version of Tartuffe is truly charming, but runs long and its humour tends to be overplayed.

Mark Rylance stars as the slimy clergyman. Large fake dentures spread into a disturbing grimace as he addresses the crowd, while his posture and bearings are actively unsettling throughout. He exploits his hosts’ faith for his benefit and continuously stirs the pot, to the point where we ask if this is some kind of religious psychosis in action. Rylance displays, as usual, a natural poise. He is often thoroughly disgusting, especially when it comes to the women he interacts with.

Rylance might be the top-billed actor in the cast, but Morenike Onajobi steals the show. She is brilliantly uncompromising as Kemi, Adanna’s larger than life and uber-clever bestie who instantly sees through the ruse. Kemi is unafraid to go against her Bible-thumping elders, winning us over in a heartbeat. Her lovingly tense dynamic with Christopher Mbaki (D-Miz, Adanna’s brother) is simply delectable. Usifu Jalloh and Craig Blake are similarly endearing as the father of the bride and of the husband-to-be, who bicker and judge openly.

The grandmothers add an amusing candour to the mix: Blanche Williams and Suzette Llewellyn keep apart from one another, but share the same opinionated spirit. They’re honestly adorable in their caustic behaviour. The main couple, unfortunately, are almost an oversight. Sara Mokonen and Ivandro Da Cruz Leite are cute, but there are bigger personalities on that stage, so they tend to fall back. In contrast, last but not least, Nakeba Buchanan grows to be a real superstar.

Buchanan delivers a heartfelt performance as Elmire, Oga’s second wife, who hides well the pressure of following in the previous matriarch’s steps, but whose burden comes to the surface with small comments. Elmire is victim-blamed and gaslighted by her whole family. Buchanan handles it with delicate tact, and her portrayal is remarkable as she maintains her dignity in the face of humiliation and mockery. While the project is flawed, she and Rylance make this worth seeing.

Raymond’s adaptation is excellent in a lot of ways, but falls short in others. ULTZ’s set design is perfect in its representational capacity, and Duramaney Kamara sets the action to a cracking soundscape. However, Raymond seeks to do too much at once, trying hard to keep the genre on track. A lot of the comedy isn’t really funny and oftentime verges on misogyny. The gags come in thick and fast, overstaying their welcome instead of landing and retreating.

By the end, everything is a little overdone, including the spiritual aspect. Tartuffe (Remixed) tries to be farcical without fully believing in the power of farce. The near-final scene unexpectedly knocks over the board and twists the tone, which would be an incredible choice if the rest of the show had the same vibe. It comes as a positive surprise, but the piece winds back to its form immediately after. More cohesion and a stronger grip on the ultimate goal of the play would have helped to ensure its success.

Tartuffe (Remixed) runs at Marylebone Theatre until 24 October.

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