Vigorous 'Invalid' alive and well

He plays, argues, rages when crossed, and demands incessant attention. This ridiculous little question mark of a man swears he’s dying and hangs upon the advice of his doctors, none of whom would know a trachea from a tractor. He’s “The Imaginary Invalid,” the great Moliere’s last play and the one that Moliere himself, sick with tuberculosis, played for Louis XIV on the fourth night and died just hours after the curtain.

No priest would give him the last rites, for they were still smarting from the skewering he gave them in “Tartuffe,” an unblinking satire on the hypocrisies that existed in the 17th century between clergy and church. Nor were doctors inclined to offer their help, such as it was.
Exposed in “The Imaginary Invalid” as quacks for their mindless remedies of bleeding, purging, bowel cleansing, and Latin mumbo, physicians of the time defended their practice as hotly as they resisted genuine scientific method. With friends like that, who needs enemas?

Nevertheless, the art of the comedy-ballet lives on, healthier and more robust than ever. Under direction of Keith Baxter, the Shakespeare Theatre Company presents a classic re-creation of “...Invalid” as it might have appeared on Feb. 17, 1673.
Tony Award winner Rene Auberjonois stars as Moliere playing the title role of Argan, a supreme platform for his versatile gifts. Rubbery, expressive, a model of comedic balance, Mr. Auberjonois radiates an energy around which the rest of this farcical cyclone whirls.

His verbal duels with the maid Toinette (in a spirited portrayal by the ever-delightful Nancy Robinette) expose a shamelessly self-serving father bent on marrying off his daughter to Thomas Diafoirus (Levi Ben-Israel), soon-to-be doctor and full time imbecile.
The introduction of this young booby along with his grotesque father, Dr. Diafoirus (John Tillotson) to the beautiful young Angelique (Gia Mora) forms the core of what is essentially a commedia dell’arte plot painted, powdered, and dressed to the nines.

Naturally Angelique has a handsome young lover, Cleante, (Tony Roach) who must resort to subterfuge in order to gain access to his beloved. Disguised as a music teacher, the lovers improvise in song their passion and frustration.

Baxter has not stinted on the dance and musical diversion, and interrupts the players with more players performing a five minute comic opera ala “Romeo and Juliet.” Perhaps the fizziest fun of all in these interludes is “The Flying Doctor” in which Sganarelle (David Manis) delights in his sketch of one man pretending to be two. Gillian Lynne deserves special notice for her musical staging and choreography.

Fleshing out the underlying theme of fakery (fake sickness and fake doctors) is the voluptuous Beline (Kaitlin O’Neal), Argan’s second wife, who baby talks the old blister and buries his face in her ample bosom for good measure. Her real motivation is exposed, of course, with Argan’s fake death. Ramping up the adorable factor is Louison (played by the very fetching Emily Whitworth) as the second daughter in a scene of great risible charm. And little Ian Pedersen has only to walk across the stage smiling to have us dropping into his hands like ripe peaches.

Marc-Antoine Charpentier’s original compositions refer instantly to the court of the Sun King where elaborate wigs, dress, and delicate manners disguised a perfect hog wallow of self-indulgence, and costume designs by Robert Perdziola heighten the joke, making a punch line of Toinette’s fake doctor robe which envelopes her like a grim Bozo the clown.

Simon Higlett sets a stage both simple and workable, unfolding like a greeting card for interior scenes and swiftly vanishing to make room for the dancers. Though the initial light wash on the stage reminds the audience that the date is Feb. 17, 1673, these collaborative efforts have wisely refrained from the strain of emphasizing this point, opting to soft peddle the consumptive cough that finished the author just hours later. The end appearance of Louis XIV and the lone bow of Moliere/Argan says enough. Bravo!

Margaret Lawrence is a member of the American Theatre Critics Association. She teaches drama at CCHS.

Want to go?

What: “The Imaginary Invalid” by Moliere
Where: Shakespeare Theatre Co., Landsburgh Theatre, Washington, D.C.
Call: (202) 547-1122 or visit ShakespeareTheatre.org.
Held over until Aug. 2