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Clown King Bill Irwin Masters Molière's Madness
23 Oct
Summary
- Bill Irwin adapts Molière's "The Imaginary Invalid" for Broadway.
- The play focuses on a hypochondriac paterfamilias and his doctors.
- Irwin's adaptation brings grace and lightness without ballet elements.
Bill Irwin, celebrated as a leading clown, takes on Molière's "The Imaginary Invalid," a 1673 play about a health-obsessed father. This adaptation, directed by Brandon J. Dirden for the Roundabout Theater Company on Broadway, captures the original's grace and lightness.
Irwin embodies Argan, the hypochondriac, in a visually striking opening sequence. The set design by Beowulf Boritt and movement direction by Lorenzo Pisoni ensure dynamic staging. Despite focusing on a character often in his chair, the production moves with surprising agility.
Molière's language, translated by Doug Skinner and performed by Irwin, crackles with frantic energy. The play satirizes the medical profession through characters like Dr. Purgon and Dr. Diafoirus. Argan's daughter, Angelique, and her suitor Cleante seek their own joys amidst the family's absurdities.
The tart comedy, written near the end of Molière's life, suggests that while there may be no cure for life's ailments, pleasures can offer solace. The production highlights the deceptive nature of surfaces and the service that deceptions can provide.
