had obtained an interdiction against its future performance. Despite appeals to King Louis, Molire was refused permission to stage the play for the general public.For the next three years Molire continued to present Tartuffe at private gatherings hoping to garner the support he needed to reverse the interdiction against the play's performance. Late in 1664 Molire was able to get the approval of the legate Chili for the performance of Tartuffe. This approval gave Molire grounds to submit a new petition to the King. The King, again, denied the petition. Adding insult to injury, Molire's one time sponsor the Prince de Conti wrote a treatise against the stage in which he accused Molire of being an atheist. Given the renewed campaign against him, Molire's hopes for producing Tartuffe in 1666 were dashed. On August 5, 1667, operating on a secret agreement with the King, Molire presented The Imposter (A milder version of Tartuffe). The King was not present for the opening as he was encamped with his army at Flanders. This would prove troublesome for Molire when the Church moved to stop further performances of The Imposter and he found himself without what he supposed to be his most important ally, King Louis. Immediately following the first performance President de Lamoignon forbid further performances of The Imposter . Molire's appeal to Archbishop Hardouin de Prfixe was ignored, as was his company's broader appeal to the King. Stunned by the apparent betrayal of his agreement with the King, Molire closed down the play and the interdiction remained in effect. On February 5th, 1670, immediately following the King Louis' dissolution of the Society of the Holy Sacrament, Molire was finally given the go ahead to run Tartuffe. That evening, as well as every open evening through Easter, the show was sold out for a record thirty-three performances. Tartuffe has been a successful draw for over three hundred years.Even the most su...
