Tartuffe

Christine Finn's portrait photograph

A play by Moliere, freely adapted by Miles Malleson,

Opened February the 11th, 1959

and then  performed on March 31st, April 1st, 10th, 14th, 15th, 18th, 24th & 25th, 1959

At The Old Vic Theatre

The Cast:

Madame Pernelle, Orgon's mother 

Rosalind Atkinson

Elmirem, Organ's wife

Pauline Jameson

Dorine, Marianne's maid 

Christine Finn

Damis, Orgon's son

Barrie Ingham

LAYING DOWN THE LAW: In the opening scene of Tartuffe Mme. Pernelle
(Rosalind Atkinson, seated centre) delivers a moral sermon to her family. She
 lavishes praise on Tartuffe, the man befriended by her son Orgon, and criticizes
the outspoken maid Dorine (Christine Finn, extreme left). Listening to the
discourse are (left to right) Elmire (Pauline Jameson), Orgon' s wife ; Damis
 (Barrie Ingham), his son; Cleante (Charles West), his brother; and Mariane 
(Silvia Francis), his daughter..

Mariane, Orogon's daughter

detail of photo above

Silvia Francis

Cleante, Elmire's Brother

Charles West

Flipote, Mme Pernelle's maid

Jean Conroy

Monsieur Orgon, a rich merchant

Gerald James

Valere, betrothed to Marianne

John Barcroft

Manservant to Tartuffe

John Scarborough

Tartuffe

Derek Francis

Loyale a bailiff

Norman Scace

An Officer

Ronald Falk

First Seargeant

Peter Moynihan

Second Seargeant 

Nicholas Simons

The Audience:  

Micheal Bevis, Desmond Davies

Philip Elsmore, Martin Redpath,

Davina Beswick, Juliet Cooke

Directed by Douglas Seale

The Times

 "Only Miss Christine Finn, as the little spitfire, contrives to maintain sharpness of her initial attack"

Read the Times article “Too Leisurely Acting in Old Vic Molière”

Punch

Published by Punch Publications Ltd., 1959

“As the privileged maid, who speaks her mind, Christine Finn gives a very attractive performance. A recruit from the Birmingham Rep, she has confidence and vitality and a quick sense of irony. I hope we shall see more of her”

Drama: the quarterly theatre review

By British Theatre Association, British Drama League Published by British Theatre Association, 1959, p21 “and making the usual  pert servant, in the person of Christine Finn, into a stunning little baggage”

The Illustrated London news - Volume 234, Issue 1 - Page 358

There are several alert performances in Douglas Seale's production (we realise again how good and unforced a director Mr. Seale is),  and two other capital ones : Pauline Jameson as the wife, with the glow of Paris in her eyes ; and Christine Finn as the maid who is the perfect soubrette. But I do not much like the Orgon. The man is so credulous that it is difficult to humanise him;  for me the present actor, in a curiously rough performance, never even begins to be real. A pity, for at the end, realising his error, he should impress himself upon us like the Shakespearian figure of the " spider in the cup " and the drinker who, reaching " th' abhorred ingredient, " must " crack his gorge, his sides, with violent hefts."

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