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The Imaginary Invalid Begins Performances at A Noise Within

Apollo Dukakis stars in the title role of Molière’s comedy.

Apollo Dukakis stars in the title role of The Imaginary Invalid, directed by Julia Rodriguez-Elliott, at A Noise Within.
Apollo Dukakis stars in the title role of The Imaginary Invalid, directed by Julia Rodriguez-Elliott, at A Noise Within.
(photo provided by A Noise Within)

The Imaginary Invalid begins performances tonight at A Noise Within.

The play tells the story of Argan, a man whose mounting medical debts are due to his mental neuroses, grossly outweighing his physical maladies. He will go to any length to reduce his growing pile of medical bills, so he decides to marry off his daughter, Angélique, to a doctor. Angélique has other ideas – and high comedy ensues replete with thwarted love, false identities, dexterous wordplay, musical interludes, and a healthy dose of derision toward the most unscrupulous aspects of the medical profession.

Originally written by Molière, A Noise Within's production is adapted by Constance Congdon based on a new translation from Dan Smith.

Apollo Dukakis stars as Argan. He is joined by Deborah Strang as Toinette, Kelsey Carthew as Angélique, Freddy Douglas as Mr. Fleurant/Mr. de Bonnefoi, Josh Odess-Rubin as Cléante, Jeremy Rabb as Doctor Purgeon, Rafael Goldstein as Claude De Aria, and Carolyn Ratteray as Béline. Julia Rodriguez-Elliott directs.

"Argan is a man railing against his mortality, and is so fueled by his obsessions he doesn’t recognize the damage he’s doing to the people around him," says Rodriguez-Elliott. "The brilliance of Molière is that he’s turned this destructive isolation into a sparkling, effervescent romp! So much of the comedy is about how oblivious he is to the vultures that are taking advantage of him, and the lengths in which the people in his life navigate his neurosis."

The creative team includes Angela Balogh Calin (scenic and costume design), Ken Booth (lighting design), Robert Oriol (original music composition and sound design), Danielle Griffith (hair, wig, and makeup design), Dillon Nelson (props master).

Performances run through November 19.

For more information and tickets, click here.

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The Imaginary Invalid

Closed: November 19, 2016