The Imaginary Invlaid

Howdy folks...I am exploring the question of using the given 9 characters in an adaption of Moliere's play The Imaginary Invalid versus adding extra cast members to play the part of the chorus. Here are my thoughts...what are yours....


Jumping right in...I think that it is important for us as we explore this text to realize its originality from the original text and that also from any other adaption of the production. Congdon is doing something special here with the characters in the play, by giving them an arc, a line, or even a squiggly line that they must travel as their character develops from the beginning of the play with that silly if it ducks then its a quack to the end where Argan is becoming OUR Doctor.

I thought it was particularly intriguing on Wednesday when Rob mentioned that Cleante was garbed in a "chorus" disguise when he arrives at Argan's home. This is also an important question (maybe more so for Dora and Esther to explore) about the use of choral costumes for the regular nine actors to wear for this first part of the play...or not. Maybe the players play in a more contemporary costume that may be used for any scene in any play (like doctors frocks or nurses caps and gowns, etc.)

Regardless, I think it is very important for the development of the characters to be able to participate in each of the singing moments of the play...and to play specifically with each other and not with extras from the peanut gallery. It would be infusing into the play a series of characters that do not have a developing line from beginning to end, and so, actually adding a deeper layer of challenge to our work and more so to that of the work of Dora as director. In some ways, it may be more challenging for her to find how the chorus lives in and through the given 9 characters. A chance for the audience to see a part of the characters, that speaks ever so differently, than the regular quick bantering dialogue of the actual play. It will break up the text, I think, more clearly and distinctly into these three different sections that Dora has been speaking of, if we can utilize the given 9 actors to explore this world of the chorus.