Molière’s ‘Tartuffe,’ at Hubbard Hall, is a pure delight

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“John Hadden, has delivered a perfectly delectable version for the Hubbard Hall crowd. He has reset the time of the piece to the 1920s and, with the aid of costume designer Sherry Recinella has given a wildly sly edge to the sexy play about a man whose devotion to a new friend has swept away all other loyalties. The result of their work, the work of a perfectly competent troupe of actors and a crew of artistic designers and artisans, makes the trip to Cambridge very worthwhile even if you arrive not knowing who the playwright is — or are.”  J. Peter Bergman

 

Truth be damned! Amadeus Pick of the Week.

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Truth be damned! Playwright Peter Shaffer didn’t make any grand effort to stick to the facts for his 1979 masterstroke, “Amadeus,” and we thank him for that. The Catholic guilt and rage for revenge seething underneath Antonio Salieri’s powdered wig is much more interesting than any quiet courtly tiffs. And the chance to see Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart acting more like his Van Halen namesake than a regal composer is reason enough to see the play. Shaffer, the poison pen behind “Equus” and “Lettice and Lovage,” knows how to find comedy in the dark, and “Amadeus” has laughs amidst the jealousy and pain. Jeannine Haas directs for The Theater Company at Hubbard Hall. 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday, Hubbard Hall, 25 E. Main Street, Cambridge, 677-2495, $15-$25. Through May 27.