Word: invalidating
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...Imaginary Invalid--A production of the Moliere play that, if nothing else, entertains. At DUNSTER HOUSE...
NEAR THE END of Moliere's The Imaginary Invalid, Beralde turns to the hypochondriac, Argan, and suggests that he "go see some of Moliere's plays" on the subject of medicine. To do so, Beralde explains, would be a good lesson for Argan and might persuade him of the absurdity of his belief in the power and good will of doctors, for they are all quacks--their pills, injections, and enemas only impede the proper working of the body...
Pointing out this absurdity is the central goal of The Imaginary Invalid, Argan, the comic hero, insists throughout that he is an invalid and that only his doctors are protecting him from death. He views them as gods, trusts them, believes in them, devotes himself to their well-being...
Under the direction of Robert Edgar, Dunster House has put together an old production of The Imaginary Invalid. For one thing, several of the actors--especially Roy Goldfinger as Argan--play their roles in an effeminate way. Moliere's Argan, bluntly put, is a madman. When asked why he persists in standing in the way of his daughter's love, he replies, "Because I'm king of my own castle and I do what I think fit." On stage his source of strength should be this single-minded devotion to his role as the father of the family...
...entertainment, Dunster's production of The Imaginary Invalid is rather successful. The good humor of the play, complemented by the translation of Robert Edgar and John Russo, makes the play move quickly along. In addition, there are three "interludes" of song and dance which add to the general festivity. But if the production held any greater ambitions than these, it seems to have lost them along...