Production of Molière play brought to 1950s setting

Grand Valley's theater program will breathe new life into the 17th century Molière play “The Imaginary Invalid” by moving the setting of the play to the 1950s.

Performances of “The Imaginary Invalid” will take place March 28-30 and April 3-6 at 7:30 p.m., and March 31 and April 7 at 2 p.m. in the Linn Maxwell Keller Black Box Theatre, Haas Center for Performing Arts, on the Allendale Campus. Tickets ($7 for students, $13 for faculty/staff/alumni, and $15 for adults) can be purchased by visiting the Louis Armstrong Box Office or calling (616) 331-2300.

In “The Imaginary Invalid,” the main character, Argan, is a hypochondriac facing depleting wealth from his excessive medical bills. His condition causes him to create a plan to arrange a marriage for his daughter, Angelique, to a doctor so he can have access to medical services. However, Angelique has other plans, and she enlists the family servant, Toinette, in a scheme to foil Argan’s plans, in a comedic performance with musical interludes.

While the play was written and originally performed in the 1600s, director Dennis Henry, visiting professor of theater, said the 1950s setting makes it more relatable.

"The '50s were a time when the patriarchy was starting to be challenged and when doctors were doing advertisements for cigarettes," Henry said. "So the more modern setting really speaks to important themes in the play: challenging patriarchal authority and not treating doctors as all-knowing gods."

For more information on “The Imaginary Invalid,” visit gvsu.edu/theater or contact Henry at [email protected].

-- written by Madison Barnes, student writer