Green and purple spotlights colored the stage as the curtains revealed a three-ring circus of colors. It was the French play Tartuffe, produced by Turpin High School.

This was definitely not your average circus.

The rings were filled with trickery and lies from the two-faced Tartuffe, played by Josh Rutledge,a houseguest of Orgon, played by Morgan Faske. Tartuffe may have fooled Orgon, but the rest of the family was not buying into the ringmaster's tricks.

Rutledge's Tartuffe oozed with sleaziness. His fast moves, however, were no match for the cunning wit and fast acting of Elmire, Orgon's wife, portrayed by Brooke Rucidlo.

Mary-Beth Griggs, as Dorine, and Zach Cromer, as Damis, led the cast in comical gestures and sly remarks. Another laugh-along character was Laurent, played by Darcy Chamberlain.

Other strong performances included Yvonne Nealis as Mariane, and Steve Smith as her lover, Valere. Ben VanderHorst, who played Cleante, helped the crowd quickly see Tartuffe's dark side.

Colorful rings and three multi-colored ring platforms made this story into a French game of Twister in a clever play on the "circus" made from the chaos of Tartuffe.

Bud Stross

Highlands High School

Excerpts

Josh Rutledge (Tartuffe) added the element of comedy and an exquisite ability to reveal the true intent of his character.

Ben Broder-Oldach

Anderson High School

Brooke Rucidlo and Yvonne Nealis stood out as masters of the challenging text. They allowed the energy of their characters to dominate, rather than just the rhyming words.

Jonathan Bell

St. Xavier High School

The lighting and the musical interludes reflected the circus theme, as well as the moods of the characters. The makeup for the cast was very creative

Rebecca Griffiths

Taylor High School

Through a lustful grasp at Elmire, or by deftly saying "Brother" to Orgon, Josh Rutledge depicted a credible creep.

Betsy Repaske

Loveland High School

For more information, see www.cappies.com