Perhaps the audience in the Todd Haimes Theatre imagined that they had laryngitis.
asserted
they → imagine → laryngitis
Because the laughs certainly did not flow freely at the recent performance of Molière’s “The Imaginary Invalid” I sat through.
asserted
I → flow → Invalid
You know the noise.
asserted
You → know → noise
Voluntary exhalations of air that say, “Yes, I am aware that was a joke.”
asserted
that → say → air
And in director Brandon J. Dirden’s misfired Roundabout Theatre Company revival, which opened Thursday night, the actors work very, very hard to make up for it.
asserted
actors → misfire → it
So hard, it’s as if there is a maternity ward nurse offstage yelling, “Push! Push!”
asserted
it → ’ → ?
And push, they do.
asserted
they → push → ?
Coming as a disappointing surprise, one of the most underwhelming performers of the lot is Bill Irwin as Argan, the titular hypochondriac who spends all his cash on pricey procedures and appointments that quack doctors have convinced him he urgently needs.
asserted
he → come → him
Irwin has a strong connection to the play.
asserted
Irwin → have → play
He adapted the version used in this revival with great care and affection — and, yeah, a machete.
asserted
He → adapt → care
He chopped it down to 90 minutes (not as short as you think!), but kept l’action squarely in 17th century France rather than schlepping the story to the Villages in Florida, or some other contemporary retiree enclave.
asserted
you → chop → Florida
Irwin is a celebrated expert in clowning and presumably knows this text in the marrow of his bones.
asserted
Irwin → celebrate → bones
Well, you wouldn’t realize that from his scattered Argan, who whines and reclines for most of the play in a chair at the center of the stage.
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who → realize → stage
The actor rambles and swallows his words as often as he scarfs down pills and his comedic timing is way off.
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timing → ramble → pills
The first few minutes, after a somewhat haphazard company dance introduction to up-tempo lute music, is Argan reading off his medical bills.
asserted
Argan → read → bills
He worships “the regimen!” and enthusiastically tallies his 18 enemas.
asserted
He → worship → enemas
The word enema alone should be funny, but gets crickets.
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enema → get → crickets
That Irwin Bolt leaves no room for laughter establishes the audience’s habitual voicelessness for the next 60 minutes.
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leaves → leave → minutes
He’s not timid — he’s actually doing too much — but is quiet and quick.
asserted
he → ’ → much
The man with a troubled bladder frequently dashes to the bathroom as an overly artificial toilet noise plays.
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noise → dash → bathroom
That gets cicadas.
asserted
That → get → cicadas
All of these enormous characters want something from the foolish old dude, and are working like the dickens to snatch it away.
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All → want → it
Performed on Beowulf Boritt’s pre-crayon coloring-book set, “Invalid” is filled with no-brainer comedy setups.
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Invalid → perform → setups
Argan’s daughter Angelique (Ava Lalezarzadeh) dreams of marrying a hottie she’s just met named Cleante (Daniel Croix Henderson) instead of the stuffy doctor’s son Argan has promised her to in order to get pro bono medical treatment.
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she → dream → treatment
His serpentine second wife Beline (Crystal A. Dickinson) connives to take all his money.
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wife → connive → money
And the pompous Dr. Diafoirus (Brooks Ashmanskas) needs to keep sending him bills for all these extraneous enemas.
asserted
Diafoirus → need → enemas
In what turns into an unpalatable silly voice contest, most of the actors are unbearably cheesy and thus grate.
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most → turn → actors
Naturally, Ashmanskas bulldozes in and gives his usual “here I am!” turn that he does in everything.
asserted
he → bulldoze → everything
Lalezarzadeh and Henderson are extremely irritating during a scene in which Cleante pretends to be Angelique’s music teacher as they secretly communicate through an improvised opera.
asserted
they → pretend → opera
That entire klutzy sequence is terribly directed by Dirden.
asserted
sequence → direct → Dirden
The singing is dicey and the bit fast deflates.
asserted
bit → deflate → ?
Disguises and trickery should delight audiences, not have them hiking their shoulders up to their ears.
asserted
them → delight → ears
Good for Hiram Delgado for earning some genuine giggles as Thomas, Diafoirus’ son who’s been promised to Angelique.
asserted
who → earn → Angelique
He gives the socially inept role an amusing “Revenge of the Nerds” spin.
asserted
He → give → spin
But the best actor in the play is the person who does the least.
asserted
who → do → least
That’s Rachel Bloom as Toinette, Argan’s overworked and mistreated maid.
asserted
That → ’ → Toinette
Simple and with crystalline diction, the “My Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” star is witty and cutting as she buzzes around annoyed by all the nonsense going on in this house of loons.
asserted
she → cut → loons
The Aporia
