Review: THE IMAGINARY INVALID at Blackwood Memorial Hall

Reviewed by Petra Schulenburg, Friday 5th October 2018

The Imaginary Invalid, by French playwright Molière, adapted by Kenneth Weston Turner, is the latest offering from The Blackwood Players in their 2018 season. Playing to a warm opening night audience in a convivial cabaret atmosphere in the Blackwood Memorial Hall, fun was had by all, both on stage and off.

Known in the original French as Le Malade Imaginaire, which also translates to The Hypochondriac, the play was written as a three-act comédie-ballet, a style of performance created by Molière, combining dance sequences and musical interludes.

Molière was, himself, an accomplished actor, as well as playwright and poet, often taking a lead role in his own plays. As a sharp wit and satirical rogue, however, his public popularity was not attained without some controversy. Indeed, even in the script of The Imaginary Invalid, he refers to himself in the third person, stating clearly his mocking distrust of all doctors, describing them as money grabbing charlatans.

Molière died at 51 of tuberculosis, ironically, only hours after being seized with a coughing fit on stage whilst playing the hypochondriac, Argan.

Making her directorial debut, Karina Black presents The Imaginary Invalid as a two-act piece, sans the ballet but retaining elements of the original musical interludes. The play has a large cast and Black keeps the action moving, highlighting the inherent humour of the script itself with physical comedy and a few pratfalls.

The title character of The Imaginary Invalid, Argan, is played by John Lanigan-O'Keefe who, from his first lines, had us all convinced that he was, indeed, on death's door. Argan, who is quite sure that he is not long for this world, wishes to marry off his beautiful daughter, Angelique, played with loyal naivety by Jessica McGaffin, to the dull son of a local doctor, after all, you can never have enough second opinions. She, in turn, is in love with a young suitor, Cleante, played by Adam Schultz, who gives the role just the right balance of swagger and ardour.

Argan's wife, Beline, is in love with Argan's money and actor Dawn Ross has enormous fun in the role leaving the audience in no doubt of her avarice and greed as she connives to part a fool from his money. The voice of reason, Argan's sister Beralde, is cleverly played by Rebecca Gardener and by conspiring with Toinette, Argan's servant, they ultimately save the day for the young lovers. Toinette is portrayed with enormous mischievous energy by Janet Jauncey, a pure delight with a heart of gold.

Argan's physician (Roland Leaver) and his son (Alexander Borley) enter the stage wearing Commedia dell'Arte Plague Doctor masks and portray their respective characters ably with just the right balance of pomposity and stupidity to convey Molière's message clearly to the audience. Tammy Shields as Argan's youngest daughter Louison is a bubble of sheer energy and delight as she is forced to divulge the details of her sister's amore to her father, and actors Natalie Kennedy and Alice Connelly render their various small male character roles with commitment as well as a wink and a nod.

The set design, a team effort from Black, James Barbary, Lauren Bannard, and Michelle Maclean, is cleverly detailed and in itself amusing when studied carefully. Similarly, the specially made costumes show just how much hard work goes into putting on a period piece of this scale, with all credit to Emma Campbell, Sharyn Black and, once again, Karina Black.

There were a missed lines and cues, particularly by the lead, Lanigan-O'Keefe, and, as such, on occasion, the action and comedy stalled when it should have flowed, but the commitment of all on stage ultimately shone through. Hopefully, these problems will settle as the season progresses.

The Blackwood Players have a long and proud history of producing amateur theatre in Adelaide and, for audiences familiar with their work, their current production of The Imaginary Invalid won't disappoint.