THE IMAGINARY INVALID
At BAM Harvey Theater, 651 Fulton St., Brooklyn. Through tomorrow. Call (718) 636-4100.
IT’S not often the Come die Francaise visits Brooklyn – so there’s reason to cheer now that it’s come to BAM with one of Moliere’s finest comedies,”The Imaginary Invalid (Le Malade imaginaire),” even if it is in French with English surtitles.
Beautifully directed by Claude Stratz and designed with a sterling simplicity by Ezio Toffolutti, it tells of Argan, a rich old hypochondriac who’s become a slave to his doctor.
Argan has gone so far as to promise his daughter to the maniacal son of his doctor, although she is in love with another. Meanwhile, Argan’s second wife, the greedy Beline, can’t wait for him to die.
Determined to straighten out matters are his resourceful, clever servant Toinette, who disguises herself as a crazy doctor, and his rational brother, Beralde.
As usual, it’s the Moliere mix of reason and unreason, but with an extra humorous zest, perhaps added by Moliere’s own awareness of his own ill health.
He in fact died after portraying Argan at the play’s fourth performance.
The cast is splendid, with Alain Pralon as Argan and Muriel Mayette as Toinette outstanding. Catch this gem if you can – it ends its run tomorrow.