Imaginary Invalid Critique

2 Pages 551 Words

The Imaginary Invalid, presented in one act, was a play about Monsieur Argon’s hypochondria and the situations that arose because of his “illnesses.” Surrounded by a very capable cast, Argon makes the best out of Molière’s last piece. It was definitely worth seeing, because this French farce kept you on your toes wondering what would happen next.
Argon and his maid, Toinette, combine to keep quick whips about each other. Argons’ wife, Beline hires a conniving lawyer who constantly grabbed Beline’s butt. It appeared as though the two were having an affair, but Monsieur Bonnefoy did not do a very good job at portraying this. Two of the most comical actors were the Diafoiruses. Thomas Diafoirus and his father were both doctors, but very incompetent. Argon attempted to marry off his older daughter to Thomas, but Angélique already had a man picked out. She wanted the suave Cléante to marry her. However, because of his illnesses, Argon was intent on Thomas getting the goods so he could get free medical attention. Thanks to Beralde, Argons brother, and Toinette, the play ended with everyone being happy except for Beline, who was not successful in getting the daughters sent to a convent, and was also unsuccessful at getting Argon to sign a deed giving her all of his money. When her cover was blown by Toinette, who convinced Argon to play dead, her scream made me jump out of my seat.
The costumes that were used were incredibly elaborate. Bright colors seemed to be the theme of the costumes, and it was appropriate that the Diafoiruses dressed alike, because of their likeness on stage. I found it a bit unusual that the men wore shoes with high heels and the women did not, but I later discovered that the French did dress that way. Another peculiarity I found was the fact that the youngest on Argons’ daughters, Louise, dressed as though she were the older of the two girls, wearing a costume that appeared much more ...