When: Fri., Aug. 16, 8-10 p.m., Fridays, Saturdays, 8-10 p.m. and Wed., Aug. 21, 8-10 p.m. Continues through Aug. 31 2019
Tales about charismatic fraudsters are as old as time, or at least as old as the 1660s, as evidenced by Molière's Tartuffe ("The Imposter"). The title character is a huckster whose gift for pious oration inspires some of the play's dimmer characters to worship and depend entirely on him. Others don't buy a word of his schtick, and try fruitlessly to convince the believers that they're being duped. It's very funny, but also dark in the sense that these power dynamics are so universal and timeless. Pittsburgh's Cup-A-Jo Productions takes a swing at this classic ("with a unique twist") at Irma Freeman Center for Imagination.