Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Hnath’s Tartuffe Opens at NYTW as Early Reviews Fault Loose Rhymes

Early notices spotlight design strengths over comic payoff.

Overview

  • Lucas Hnath’s new version of Molière’s Tartuffe opened December 16 at New York Theatre Workshop and is scheduled to run through January 24, 2026.
  • New York Stage Review critics say pervasive off- and near-rhymes undercut the verse’s snap, resulting in fewer sustained laughs.
  • The ensemble earns strong notices—Lisa Kron, Amber Gray, Francis Jue, Ryan J. Haddad, Emily Davis, Bianca Del Rio, and Ikechukwu Ufomadu—while Matthew Broderick’s title performance is described as relatively muted.
  • Staging and visuals draw praise, with Sarah Benson’s direction, Raja Feather Kelly’s choreography, dots’ set, and Enver Charkatash’s costumes singled out.
  • One review contrasts the outcome with marketing that billed a “razor-sharp reinvention,” calling the production underwhelming.