Farcical
THE IMAGINARY INVALID should delight many at Great Lakes Theatre
Jean Baptiste Poquelin,
better known to the Western world as Moliére, was a seventeenth century French dramatist
who wrote penetrating satirical comedies. In an era when the theatre mostly
centered on pastoral plays, divertissements, and neoclassic tragedies, he upset
many by taking on social and societal issues and groups, such as health care, the
upper class, the clergy, doctors, and anti-women’s groups.
When he died in 1673, in what
turned out to be a scandal over whether he was poisoned by the court composer
with whom he had recently had a falling out, the church leaders refused to
officiate or grant his body formal burial. It wasn’t until seven years later, when the ban was lifted
by the King, that he was forgiven and honored by having the French national
theatre, The House of Moliére, named after him.
His plays include THE SCHOOL
FOR WIVES, THE MISER, THE MISANTHROPE and THE DOCTOR IN SPITE OF HIMSELF. His last, and probably one of his most
popular scripts was THE IMAGINARY INVALID.
As originally conceived, THE
IMAGINARY INVALID was a comedy-ballet, with dance sequences and musical
interludes. It concerns Argan, a hypochondriac
afraid of all diseases, and the possessor of all disease. Moliére himself played the main role in
the first staging, coughing up real blood during the show’s fourth performance,
and dying later that evening.
In its revised version, now
on stage at Great Lakes Theatre, as created by director Tracy Young, playwright
Oded Gross and composer Paul James Prendergast, the script becomes a farcical,
60s pop culture romp.
In this version, Argan is
still a hypochondriac, afraid of all diseases and the treated by quacks, but, according to the director, instead
of just focusing on medical issues, it encourages viewers to “ask how do we
each chose to live.”
Incorporated into the action
is commedia staging, which is free form physical antics. This type of farcical theatre is associated
with slapstick, running into walls and doors, and broad and unrealistic
characters and characterizations.
The story concerns Argan, his
doctors, uninhibited maid, unfaithful wife, unscrupulous lawyer, two daughters,
the older daughter’s suitor and her arranged for fiancé, and his brother. There’s also lots of singing and
dancing, much of which doesn’t fit smoothly into the plot. That’s part of the design, since, except
for its slight message, this isn’t supposed to be finite story telling. It is intended to be entertainment, for entertainment’s sake.
Under director Young’s
guidance, the cast has a wonderful time and so does much of the audience. She directs with a broad brush,
creating lots of easy to laugh at shticks. Reality is not the issue, getting guffaws is and nothing
works better than the narcoleptic lawyer’s constant passing out each time he
tells one of his many lies, resulting in falling upside down from a ladder,
running into doors, and smashing to the floor with regularity.
The show’s first act is very
long and drags. The second act is much
more fun and has better focus. For
those used to Moliére’s comedy style, adjusting to the outlandish farce, which
begs for laughs, takes a little getting used to.
Tom Ford’s Argan is a mash-up
of Nathan Lane, Paul Lynde and Truman Capote. He’s outlandishly dear and fun!
Sara Bruner as Toinette, his impudent
servant, is a total joy who makes Argan into a perfect foil for their Abbott
and Costello-like routines.
Lovely Kimbe Lancaster is
ingénue-right as Angelique, Argan’s youngest daughter, while Jodi Dominick
rings laughs as the hunchbacked older daughter (Louison). Her scenes with pot-bellied nebbish
Thomas Diafopirus (portrayed by Ian Gould), Angelique’s intended suitor, are
hilarious.
David Anthony Smith (Argan’s
brother, Beralde) plays with the audience with direct interactions, including
creating a song based on the input of a first row audience member.
Lynn Robert Berg begs for
laughs as Doctor Purgon, one of the manipulating physicians. Juan Rivera Lebron carries off the role
of Cleante, a florist and Angelique’s other suitor, well. If J. Todd Adams (Monsieur De
Bonnefoit, the lawyer) makes it through the play’s run without seriously
hurting himself for all his falling and wall smashing into, it will be a wonder.
Kent Roht’s choreography,
though not overly creative, works adequately well, as does Paul James
Prendergast’s original music. Christopher Acebo’s art moderne set and costume designs fit
the mood and era.
Capsule judgement: Tracy Young’s direction and the efforts
of her cast pay off in a presentation of THE IMAGINARY INVALID that, from the reactions of the
opening night audience, pleased many. On the other hand, Moliére
purists, and those who think comedy is comedy and not farce, will probably not
be overjoyed.
An
excellent Teacher Preparation Guide has been prepared by Daniel Hahn and Kelly
Schaffer Florian to aid teachers in leading discussions about THE IMAGINARY
INVALID. For information or copy
send an email to Dhahn@greatlakestheater.org.
