The Imaginary Invalid
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Cititour.com Review
“Plus ca change, plus c’est la meme chose,” as the French satirist Moliere might have said. Indeed, nearly 500 years after he penned “The Imaginary Invalid,” many of the play’s core subjects remain the same: a healthcare system that allows for greedy doctors (and foolish patients), cheating spouses who care more about money than loyalty, and domineering if well-meaning parents.
The continued relevance of these issues is just one reason Jeffrey Hatcher’s super-streamlined adaptation of this timeless classic, now being presented by the Red Bull Theater at New World Stages, works so well. But you’ll probably be thinking less and laughing more during the 80-minute production, nicely directed by Jesse Berger, who guides an expert cast of farceurs through their paces.
The play is set entirely the drawing room (beautifully designed by Beowulf Borrit) belonging to Argan – a gruff but ultimately likable older man played with comic precision by Mark Linn-Baker – who is convinced he has some terrible physical illness, but who actually has none. (What does ail him ultimately becomes clear.)
Unfortunately, his delusions are encouraged by almost everyone around him: his recently-wed second wife Belline (a preening Emily Swallow), whose distaste for her new spouse seems obvious even before we meet her slimy lover, De Bonnefou (a fine Manoel Felciano); his loyal, good-natured daughter Angelique (the lovely Emilie Koukatchou), and, above all, a series of obsequious doctors (all played, with great hilarity, by the invaluable Arnie Burton), who happily prescribe an enormous amount of enemas, butt massages and other pointless “cures.”
Worse yet, one of the doctors proposes that Angelique immediately marry his boorish son, Thomas (Russell Daniels, dressed by Tilly Grimes as an oversized Oompa-Loompa), whom he claims is two days away from being a doctor (which is clearly a big fat lie). Unsurprisingly, Argan is thrilled by thought of having a permanently on-call doctor for a son-in-law, but Angelique has given her heart to Cleante (a strapping John Yi), a handsome if none-too-bright man she met just six days earlier. And when faced with the choice of marrying Thomas or being sent to a convent, the choice is clear if the situation isn’t resolved within hours.
Of course, every dysfunctional household needs one sane person around; here it’s the loyal, slightly slovenly, loud-mouthed maid Toinette (Sarah Stiles, in a truly tour-de-force turn), who stands up to Argan and ultimately devises her own schemes to make things right.
Hatcher’s script follows most of the basic narrative beats of the original, including adding a couple of musical interludes. The best – and perhaps highlight of the show – is having a trio of silly songs about sheep sung by Cleante, Angelique and Toinette, all set to the melodies of some famous tunes. And if you think Hatcher isn’t going to take advantage of having the first African American Christine Daae (from “Phantom of the Opera”) on stage, think again.
Some of the show’s most farcical elements would work better on a much larger stage, but Berger is an inventive director, making especially good use of a big chair that sits continuously on center stage. Sadly, the show’s energy does occasionally flag, but then there is some bit or plot complication to bring the show back to life.
Still, we need all the diversions we can get in these troubling times, and since laughter is still the best medicine, grab a ticket to “The Imaginary Invalid.”
By Brian Scott Lipton
Visit the Site
https://www.redbulltheater.com/the-imaginary-invalid-off-broadway
Open/Close Dates
Opening 6/2/2025
Closing Open-ended
Theatre Info
New World Stages
340 West 50th Street
New York, NY 10019
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