Mark Linn-Baker & Sarah Stiles To Lead THE IMAGINARY INVALID At Red Bull Theater

“The Imaginary Invalid is one of Molière's most famous and oft-produced plays. But it's been produced in New York only four times, twice on Broadway, twice off-Broadway, and not in recent memory.  As with any comedy written long ago and in a foreign language, it's vital that its translation into English, and in this case its adaptation, account for the difference between the core of the play -- its plot, characters, and themes -- and its expression -- its dialogue and idiom. What was funny in the 17th century isn't necessarily funny now, and what's funny in French isn't always funny in English.  Most important, the play's central character, Monsieur Argan, must be played by an actor who is classically trained, a comedian and like-able. Too many versions of The Imaginary Invalid make Argan a nasty fool. Not that he isn't a fool: he does things he shouldn't, like try to marry his daughter to a doctor so he'll have free on-site healthcare, and if she refuses he'll send her to a convent. But for the comedy to work, the audience must be engaged by Argan, so he's got to be played by an actor the audience cares about. Mark Linn-Baker is that actor, and this adaptation is tailored to Mark's talents, along with those of the company of actors who support him. The play is about a hypochondriac who thinks he's at death's door. His imaginary illnesses blind him to the con men - and women (his new wife) - who use his weakness to fatten their purses. His hypochondria also affects his relationship with his daughter Angelique who wants to marry her lover, Cleante. The tropes and terminology of the play have to do with medicine, the body, physical, mental and spiritual health. Much of the original text concerns the state of medicine and chicanery in France circa 1672.  Without updating or changing the setting of the play, we have fun with notions of self-care, mindfulness, masks, vaccinations, therapies, spas, plastic surgery and cryogenics.  Argan's pathological solipsism resonates with our own post-pandemic concerns, our panic about illness, our obsession with or resistance to dictates from on high, and our search for miracle cures like Ivermectin and Hydroxychloroquine. Argan is just the sort of man who would use his wealth and position to make sure he got the first Covid test, the first vaccine, and if he got the virus, he'd see to it he had the best hospital suite and round-the-clock care - as if he were the President,” says Jeffrey Hatcher.