Entertainment: ‘The Imaginary Invalid’ honors 400th birthday of French playwright
Molière comedy opens May 13 at Gavilan Theater
Moliere, the playwright of “The Imaginary Invalid”
By Marty Cheek
In honor of Molière’s 400th birthday, Gavilan College will showcase the French comic playwright’s classic satire “The Imaginary Invalid.”
The play is as timely today as it was when it premiered nearly 350 years ago as it takes a brilliantly funny and mocking look at corruption in the medical profession, said director John Lawton Haehl, head of the Theater Arts Department at Gavilan.
The show opens May 13 at the Gavilan Theater located on the main campus in Gilroy.
The satire offers biting commentary by Molière on upper-class society that is still relevant today as when Parisian audiences first saw it in 1673, he said. “Molière is famous for his comic style of writing to explore eternal human foibles and obsessions. He is deeply indebted to a group called Comédie-Italienne, which were popular in Paris at the time.”
Zack Carbajal stars as Argan, the “invalid,” a severe hypochondriac who’s financial state is on the verge of collapse under the weight of medical bills caused by the behavior of two unscrupulous men, Fleurant, an apothecary (played by Angel Bettencourt) and Dr. Purgon (played by Nox Maack). Argan comes up with an idea to marry his daughter Angelique (played by Monzerrat Delgadillo) to the physician’s son in exchange for a lifetime of free medical treatment. The plot turns into farce when the young lady’s love lies with Cléante (played by Bettencourt), a young man who is kind but not very bright. Soon Argan’s entire household finds themselves in an elaborate and ludicrous plot to save true romance.
Other performers in the cast are Catherine Drayton who plays Toinette, witty maid-servant of Argan; Rilee Dixon as Claudine, maidservant to Bernadette; Alex Salcido as Béline, second wife of Argan; Yahya Haroon as Thomas Diafoirus, betrothed to Angelique by her father; Alejandra Garcia as Louison, Argan’s young daughter; Mia Kaanapu as Bernadette, sister of Argan; and Yusuf Haroon as Mr. de Bonnefoi, a notary.
Gavilan is presenting “Invalid” as a family-friendly show. “Anyone can attend it and enjoy it,” Lawton Haehl said. “I’m using some ‘80s pop music and ‘80s alternate music to put into the musical interludes and keep it lively.”
The production juxtaposes period costumes and settings with modern situational dialogue and 1980’s music, making it more relevant and fun for modern audiences.
“Molière was adept at creating relatable characters and situations in which we can see ourselves and laugh at their antics onstage,” Lawton Haehl, said. “Our protagonist Argon learns an important lesson – that laughter, and the love of your family and friends, is the best medicine of all!”
The director brought in a specialist in 17th century court movements to help the performers be authentic.
“Manners were everywhere,” he said. “Louis the XIV is the king at this point in time and invented ballet. Everyone is taking ballet lessons, so they all stand a certain way and pose a certain way. So we wanted to make sure we didn’t end up with modern students with their hands in their pockets but actually have bodies and poses that show they belong to the world.”
A stage name, Moliere was born Jean-Baptiste Poquelin Jan. 15, 1622 in Paris. He is compared to Shakespeare in his writing, transforming French comedy by perfecting a comic method he developed as an actor. During the fourth performance of “Invalid,” Molière, who ironically played the hypochondriac Argan, was seized with a coughing fit and died later that night.
“In France there are celebrations and all kinds of things going on for the 400th anniversary of Molière’s birth,” Lawton Haehl said. “He’s a big deal in France.”
