Théâtre français de Toronto presents Dom Juan; the original version of the Molière classic directed by Joël Beddows and presented at the Berkeley Street Theatre with English surtitles Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. The May 25 performance is part of the Fundraising Gala which will conclude with a reception at the Thompson Landry Gallery.

SYNOPSIS: Rebellious rake. Inveterate skirt-chaser. Dom Juan doesn’t want to be a son. He doesn’t want to be a spouse. He doesn’t want to be a master. He doesn’t want to be a hypocrite. Dom Juan wants to be free to seduce women non-stop — and especially — without limits, without worrying about the consequences. But can one really run through conquest after conquest without ever having to pay the heavy price of judgement?

Irreverent and diabolical, the show is carried by the talented Pierre Simpson in the title role, Marcelo Arroyo, Lina Blais, Sophie Goulet, Christian Laurin, and Nicolas Van Burek. Sets are designed by Melanie McNeill; lighting, Michael Brunet; costumes, Nina Okens; and soundscape, Venessa Lachance.

A classical work, the play — very controversial at its time — is as contemporary as ever in its exploration of impossible utopias: absolute pleasure and instant gratification devoid of moral obligation. Perhaps embodying universal desires himself — repressed, perverse desires —  Dom Juan remains a complex and ambiguous character who manipulates his world without remorse, particularly regarding his manservant, Sganarelle, with whom the relationship of dominance but also admiration reflects our own unhealthy attraction towards absolutists.  Rearranging the rules of this carnival game, award-winning director Joël Beddows, in his directorial debut as TfT’s artistic director, plunges us into a world at the crossroads of zany comedy, debauchery, and the search for a more human than mythical figure — offering an examination of our society through the ages — asking the question: Who is the culprit? The tyrant or his admirer?