Spring Main Stage Show Offers Big Doses of Laughter
The Imaginary Invalid, a classic French comedy reimagined for modern audiences, opens on March 3. Directed by Štěpán Šimek, professor of theatre, the show provides a hilarious take on the medical profession, helping viewers forget their woes, even if just for a little while.
by David Oehler BA ’14
The Imaginary Invalid, a play originally written by 17th-century French playwright Molière, updated and adapted by American playwright Constance Congdon, comes to the Lewis & Clark Main Stage this spring.
The play follows the antics of Argan (Ruby Silberstein BA ’23), a wealthy hypochondriac, as he upends the lives of his family and servants through his constant, neurotic fear of illness. The players include Argan’s daughter Angélique (Tiani Ertel BA ’25), betrothed by her father to a man she does not love; Dr. Pugeon (Genevieve Baldwin BA ’25), who attends to Argan’s incessant needs; and Toinette (Rosalie Zuckerman BA ’25), the witty maid-servant of Argan who must fix her employers’ problems for them, all while enjoying a laugh at their expense.
The production features original songs (some written by members of the cast and crew), drag-inspired costumes, and a wild, zany set design. In total, more than 45 Lewis & Clark students are involved in the production.
The Imaginary Invalid is “an adaptation of an adaptation,” explains the play’s director, Professor of Theatre Štěpán Šimek. The original play, by Molière, was updated in 2007 by Constance Congdon. It’s this version that serves as the basis for Lewis & Clark’s production.
“As a playwright, Molière was essentially a social critic,” says Šimek. “He said that the aim of comedy is to reveal the stupidity of mankind and to correct humanity’s vices.” The plot itself, as with many of Molière’s plays, pushes back against antiquated ideas, such as the patriarchal role of a father deciding whom his daughter should marry and society’s misplaced assumption that the wealthy are always deserving of their wealth.
That said, Šimek’s goal in nominating the play for this spring’s Main Stage performance was less about politics and more about building community around theatre. “My argument for this play was that it was time to do a comedy … a stupid, big, idiotic comedy,” he says. “My hope is that we can all laugh and forget, at least for a little while, the darkness that surrounds us.”
Šimek is aiming for “an intensely physical production, one that relies a great deal on improvisation to show the untamed joy of performance.” Viewers should be ready for a bombastic performance that carries over into the very set, which is designed more like a jungle gym than a mansion. It incorporates 1,000 ping-pong balls in various clever and creative ways, and even has edible portions that characters will literally chew on stage.
Imaginary Invalid
The Imaginary Invalid will run March 3 and 4 at 7:30 p.m., March 5 at 2 p.m., and March 9, 10, and 11 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets may be purchased online or in person at the box office.
