Under two hours. This play is under two hours long. I could barely contain my excitement when I saw that runtime because do you know how rare it is for me to finish something in a single sitting? I started this during Sophie's nap on Tuesday and finished it before she woke up. That almost never happens. High praise.
Here's the thing about Tartuffe - this is a 360-year-old comedy about a religious con man weaseling his way into a rich family's home, and it's so relevant it could be a reality TV show pitch. Tartuffe sweet-talks gullible Orgon into handing over his house, his daughter, basically everything, while the rest of the family stands around going "ARE YOU SERIOUS RIGHT NOW." Which - and I'm not proud of this comparison - is basically how I feel watching my mother-in-law rearrange my kitchen because my husband told her she could "help."
When the Con Man Has Better Lines Than Your Husband
The LibriVox full-cast recording is... look, it's free, and you get what you pay for, but also sometimes you get more than you pay for? The cast includes probably a dozen volunteers, and some of them are genuinely good. Elizabeth Klett brings real theatrical energy to her parts - you can tell she's done this before. And whoever voiced Dorine (the maid who basically serves as the family's one functioning brain cell) had comic timing that actually landed even through my car speakers.
But then there are moments where the audio quality shifts noticeably between speakers - like one person recorded in a proper setup and the next is in their bathroom. The pacing gets uneven in Act III when Tartuffe is trying to seduce Elmire and there's this weird tonal mismatch between the two performers that undercuts what should be the most tension-filled scene. One actor is playing it sly and creepy, the other sounds like she's reading a grocery list. It pulled me out for a minute.
Also - and this is minor but it bugged me - the pronunciation of French names is wildly inconsistent across the cast. Mariane gets said about four different ways. It's not a dealbreaker but it's noticeable.
Molière Understood That One Family Member Who Ruins Everything
What surprised me is how funny this still is. Orgon is SO dense about Tartuffe that it circles from frustrating to hilarious. There's this bit early on where the maid Dorine keeps telling Orgon that his wife was sick, and all Orgon wants to know is how Tartuffe is doing. "And Tartuffe?" "Oh, he ate two partridges and half a leg of mutton." "Poor man!" I was laughing in my car in the garage like a lunatic.
The ending is completely bonkers - the king just... fixes everything? Deus ex machina in the most literal sense. And honestly, after the stress of watching this family almost lose their home to a fraud, I was fine with it. Sometimes you just need the problem solved and everyone to be okay. Satisfying ending - exactly what I needed. Not every story has to earn its resolution through 300 pages of suffering.
The whole thing survived multiple pauses - Sophie woke up at the 50-minute mark (of course), so I finished the second half during car time that evening. Picked right back up without confusion because honestly, the plot is straightforward: bad guy tricks dad, family fights back, bad guy gets caught. Survived 47 pauses and still made sense.
Who Needs This in Their Ears
Perfect for multitasking moms who want to feel vaguely cultured without committing to a 15-hour Victorian novel. If you had to read this in high school and remember nothing, the audio version is a fun way to rediscover it. Theater people will enjoy the full-cast format even with its rough edges.
Skip it if inconsistent audio quality is going to drive you crazy, or if you need polished studio production to stay engaged. This is community theater energy, not Broadway. And that's okay for a free audiobook.
The Mom Verdict: Culture in Under Two Hours, Can't Beat That
Not groundbreaking, but sometimes you don't need groundbreaking. Sometimes you need a short, funny, free audiobook that reminds you humans have been dealing with manipulative people for centuries and the best weapon has always been the one person in the room willing to say "this guy is full of it." Dorine is my spirit animal. My book club will love this (if I ever have time for book club again).
