Well here I am thinking I have been exposed to enough SMTD performances that nothing could surprise me anymore. How wrong I was! The Imaginary Invalid was by far one of the most unexpected plays I have seen yet at the University of Michigan. Of course, you go in expecting a relaxing night of comedic entertainment, and leave wondering what the heck you just witnessed. Our theatre department has mastered this skill to surprise the audience, no matter the genre of the performance, and I think this is the true reason why I love our school so much. We do not settle for a normal rendition of Molière, but strive to surprise the audience and provide them with a completely unique experience.
Admittedly, I have never seen Molière performed before, so I was not entirely sure what I was in for, but I could have never imagined the raucous farce that awaited me. There was everything from potty humor to satire on medicine, beautifully executed choreography to improved jokes about it being April Fools’ Day. My personal favorite must have been the moment towards the end when Argan had just been made a doctor in a fake ceremony, and out comes Hillary Clinton on stage, declaring her love for Argan. It was the pinnacle of a truly bizarre and hysterical show.
Not only was the humor perfectly executed, but the characters were played effortlessly by the actors. Particularly Toinette and Argan were performed with incredible ease. It truly makes a huge difference when the actors have such a solid grasp on their characters, since comedy comes off much better to the audience when there is no meagerness in the performance. And in the crazy moments when the humor is verging on outlandish, the actors must portray the joke perfectly according to the setting of the play, or the audience will not find it amusing. If the actors take on the situation whole-heartedly and revel in its strangeness, the audience will follow along. This was perpetuated by the interactivity with the audience throughout the play, such as when the actors would run through the chairs in a middle of a spat. I really felt absorbed in this crazed world of insanity for the length of the performance, and I loved every moment of it. I definitely recommend you get out to see this play before it ends next week! One of my favorite shows I have seen yet, and the most I have laughed in a long time!
Saw it …. been doing theatre for 40 years… left at intermission.
Wait that was not this show sorry this one was pretty good. I was trying to respond to Mr. Burns Post electric and have had a glass of wine.