Tartuffe

''It is as grandious and complex as the labyrinths within the palaces of his humour.'' This was once written about the work of the great French and one of the world's greatest comediographers, Jean Baptiste Pouqelin, in literary history remembered as Moli?re, the son of a wealthy royal upholsterer, owner of a law-degree and a passion of an actor and a writer. Don Juan, The Misanthrope, The Miser, The Immaginary Invalid... are but a few of his master-pieces that have been performed since the 17th century, not showing even a trace of fatigue. For human stupidity is eternal and, it seems, indestructible and Moliere's texts feverishly seek to unravel it, whether it is about the insane passion for money, manic cherishing of the cult of integrity, frantic self-admiration, or about the distrust and the hate towards the human kind. However, neither of these works didn't bring so many problems and troubles, as well as success in the end, to Moliere as did Tartuffe. It was performed for the first time in 1664 in an incomplete version, at the fetes in Versailles and it was immediately banned by the Compagnie du Saint-Sacrement, the ban which lasted until 1667. A refined version, entitled l'Imposteur (The Impostor), was offered to the viewers then, but with little effect, on the contrary: everyone who showed the play, printed it or read it was threatened with excommunication. Yet, the censorship was lifted in 1669; the success of Tartuffe was enormous and since then it has remained one of the most performed plays of the French classical theatre.

''A performance that earnestly and aimfully approaches the play, with the director's ironic signature, giving it a contageous old-fashioned charm and with it a distinct and somewhat forgotten quality.'' (Helena Braut, ''Vjesnik'')

''Sciaccaluga's Tartuffe is a masterful denouncement of hypocrisy. An achievement which wonderfully shows just how timeless Moliere was, and still is, as well as how unique he is in ridiculing human stupidity.'' (Zrinka Zorčec, ''Vjesnik'')

''Grabarić handled the superb translation by Vladimir Gerić exquisitely, not rapping the fast rhymed sentences and not appeasing the audience, whereas he raised the temperature in the audience with every appearance. He had a worthy partner in Enes Vejzović as Orgon, as well as in Nataša Janjić as the temperamental, sensuous Elmire.'' (Denis Derk, ''Večernji list'')

''Once again Ozren Grabarić got the part that made him ''rearrange'' himself and present himself to the audience in an unexpected way. He succeeded in the attempt using a skill of an exceptionally intelligent actor's personality. Grabarić's Tartuffe is very much aware of all the deluding, pathetic postures of ecclesiastic humility and martyr's modesty. He performes them as if he was reverend Sudac, beg your pardon, as if he was the masterful treasurer of the comic legacies from commedia dell'arte. The director Sciaccaluga led Gavella's ensemble into a wholly open kind of parody of religious rigorousness that the audience, judging by the long applause after the two-and-a-half-hour performance, most definitely enjoyed.'' (Nataša Govedić, ''Novi list'')

''Make sure you go and see Tartuffe forbidding everything to everyone in the name of a higher cause when he himself appreciates only the food, clothes and a roll in the hay. And as you watch him, imagine that he is not a pious man, but a nation-building patriot, the leader of the opposition, a government critic from a non-government organization, a union representative, the president of the World bank, or the American president - and everyone of them will be the same. In the eyes of Tartuffe we are not allowed to do anything, while he's allowed to do everything only because he put a mask on the face of his greed.'' (Boris Beck, Nacional.hr)

''The viewers undoubtedly enjoyed the comic scenes and had a good time. Is there anything more important and more worthy than that?'' (Igor Mrduljaš, ''Hrvatsko slovo'')