Interview: Patrick Toon and TARTUFFE at The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey

The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey opens their 2018 season with Tartuffe by Molière, translated by Richard Wilber, and directed by the theatre's Artistic Director, Bonnie J. Monte. The show will be on stage at the F.M Kirby Shakespeare Theatre from May 16 through June 3.

Tartuffe, the consummate con man, hypocrite and womanizer, meets his match under Molière's deft pen. A masterpiece of biting social commentary brilliantly enclosed in a swirl of witty verse, outrageous characters, and delightful machinations; you'll laugh and wince simultaneously as you hear how familiar this 17th century family sounds to our 21st century ears!

Broadwayworld.com had the pleasure of interviewing Patrick Toon who plays Orgon in Tartuffe.

Toon is in his 12th season with The Shakespeare Theatre. Favorite roles with the company include Bardolph in Henry IV, Part One, Mr. Dussel in The Diary of Anne Frank, Sylvius in As You Like It, and Patrick in The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) (revised). Elsewhere, Patrick has played both Jim and Brendan in different productions of The Weir, Richard Hannay in The 39 Steps, Jacques in As You Like It, and Ray in Richard the Third and Goal.

I know you have been a part of the company for a decade. How do you feel your career has evolved over that time?

When I started here in 2005, I was playing a young, comic lover. Now I'm playing someone's father. I've felt myself move up the ranks and over the years I've been trusted with some very rewarding parts. The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) (revised) comes to mind first. While it's kind of a mindless romp, we got to do it in a way that upheld the integrity of the theatre and was fantastically unrestrained and fun, both for us and for the audiences. We also got an NEA grant that allowed us to let kids in free. I'm very proud of that!

I'm also profoundly grateful to have been entrusted with the role of Mr. Dussel in The Diary of Anne Frank. It was an honor to be able to bring that play to the stage.

How does it feel to be in the production that is kicking off the company's exciting 2018 season?

It feels great. We're setting the tone for the rest of the year. It's a punchy season and we're going to come out swinging with this one.

Tell us a little about the challenges of your role as Orgon in Tartuffe.

Under Tartuffe's influence, he does some pretty lousy things to his family. It's easy for the audience to view him as a ranting ogre or a mindless dupe. So Bonnie and I are making sure to balance his appealing qualities with his shortcomings. He has to be worth redemption. We want to show how an unprincipled con man can pervert and abuse well-meaning people.

We'd love an insider's take on the cast and creative of Tartuffe.

Well, let's see...in the title role we've got Brent Harris. He's off-the-charts good. He and I worked together in Henry IV back in 2012. We didn't get to do much together in that show, but it's a different story now and he's thrilling to share a scene with.

Victoria Mack, who plays Dorine the Maid, is another STNJ veteran and one of the first people I worked with back in 2005. She has great timing and a fantastic sense of humor. I always try to sit next to her during notes. We make each other laugh.

Playing my mother, Madame Pernelle, is the powerful and vivacious Vivian Reed. We met at the STNJ gala just after she'd brought the house down with her rendition of "Stormy Weather." It's going to be a lot of fun to square off against her.

I play the father of two in this show and that's something new. Both actors playing my kids are lovely. Though his character is a hothead, Aaron McDaniel who plays my son is a very disciplined, quiet guy. He's also a Molière ringer, having performed in The Bungler last season. Sarah Nicole Deaver who plays my daughter Mariane is a real thrill to work with. She is so alive and present.

While I don't know the rest of the cast as well as the people I mentioned above, I will say there's a great energy in rehearsal. Everyone has their head in the right place. A lot of us came in off-book and I think it's put us ahead of the game.

On the production side, we're led by Bonnie who comes in each day burning with a contagious passion for this piece. She fires all of us up, keeps us in line, and is always looking for the best in everything.

I worked with our Stage manager, Jackie Mariani two summers ago on Complete Works. I like to joke around with her, but I truly respect her abilities. She has the hardest job in the room. There's so much to keep track of and coordinate while dealing with a host of egos and personalities. Like me, she's been around STNJ for a while and came up through the ranks. She's earned her place behind the table.

Our costume designer Nikki Delhomme is a friend. She and I share a love of board games (though she's way more competitive than I am!). Our fittings turn into prolonged conversations about Settlers of Catan.

Some of our readers have likely seen Tartuffe performed before. What do you want them to know about this production?

Because it's written in rhyming couplets and labelled as a comedy, Tartuffe often gets written off as a frothy french meringue of a play and that is unfortunate. The play is thick with substance and recent events have made it horrifyingly applicable to modern society. The tensions in Orgon's house are the same ones that divide our own homes at family get-togethers. The same debates and denials that we hear at Thanksgiving dinners are repeated in Tartuffe. If we'd done this play two years ago, I think people might struggle to believe that seemingly reasonable people could be so thoroughly duped by such an obvious charlatan.

Why do you think that The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey has such a loyal following and has received so many accolades?

High standards, first and foremost. And the fact that people don't have to go into the city to catch high-quality productions. They're right here in New Jersey's backyard. A close second to that, however is the fact that when the theatre finds good people, it brings them back again and again. Audiences like seeing familiar faces on stage and it creates a sense of community around the theatre.

The F.M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre is located at 36 Madison Avenue in Madison, NJ on the campus of Drew University. For season's subscriptions, tickets for Tartuffe, and more information, you can visit http://www.shakespearenj.org/, call 973.408.5600 or visit the box office at the theatre.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Patrick Toon