Philadelphia Theater to Stage New Adaptation of TARTUFFE This Winter

The Kammerspiel has announced the world premiere of a bold new adaptation of Molière's Tartuffe, reimagined by Bob Sloan and directed by Josh McIlvain. This three-week engagement opens Friday, February 20, 2026, at the Performance Garage, with performances Friday through Sunday through March 8.

Often regarded as Molière's greatest play, Tartuffe skewers hypocrisy, piety-as-performance, and the dangers of blind devotion. Riffing on the original vitality of Molière's rhymed couplets, Bob Sloan's adaptation positions Tartuffe squarely in two worlds at once by honoring the play's classical roots while speaking with unmistakable contemporary candor. 

The play follows Orgon, the epitome of bourgeois respectability, who falls under the spell of the ultra-pious charlatan Tartuffe. Only after Tartuffe threatens Orgon's fortune, his family's safety, and even their chastity does Orgon begin to recognize the peril of surrendering his judgment to a cultish, self-serving zealot.

As our own moment feels increasingly shaped by figures who weaponize righteousness for personal gain, Tartuffe emerges as a play for right now.

This production features the physically adventurous staging of director Josh McIlvain and a cast of stalwart Philadelphia actors, bringing mayhem, wit and urgency to the classic comedy. The staging embraces tableau, rhythm, and slapstick comedy, inviting audiences to experience the satire not just intellectually, but viscerally.