"I went to 'The Imaginary Invalid' and now I think I'm coming down with something."

By Rachael Fisher

Sarcastic, witty humor took the stage at Cyrano’s with the opening of “The Imaginary Invalid” by Moliere in a sold-out show. The play delivered laughs from the start as Monsieur Argan (Mark Robokoff) reviewed a stack of bills for prescriptions from his apothecary.

Toinette, the maid (Tamar Bolkvadze) tells the audience - in case they can't figure it out - that Argan is a hypochondriac by saying, “If it wasn’t for him [the apothecary] you wouldn’t know you were ill.”

Through a gold painting frame that bordered the set, the audience watched the story unfold in the home of the Argan family in 17th-century Paris. There is also a gold frame on set that features an array of subjects throughout the play. According to Elizabeth Ware the production’s director the frames are intended to remind us that we are watching an artist’s rendition of life since the paintings of the 17th and 18th centuries served as inspiration for this play. Ware also suggests we might relate to the characters in the “painting” by seeing how we are often posing in social situations.

Argan insists that his eldest daughter Angelique (Erika Johnson) marry a doctor or else he will place her in a convent without a penny of her inheritance. Speaking of inheritance enter Beline (Janet Stoneburner), Argan’s second wife and she just happens to have her lawyer with her prepared to draw up a deed of gift since French law prevents Argan from disinheriting Angelique.

Cleante (Erick Hayden) is in love with Angelique and enters the Argan home pretending to be her assistant music teacher. Cleante and Angelique’s love is not known to Argan as he gives Angelique “the opportunity to be unselfish” by introducing her to the his doctor’s son, Dr. Thomas Diaforus (Keven Green) who appeared wearing coke bottle “Harry Potter” glasses and flailed his arms about as he spoke in a nasally voice. The audience laughed but neither Angelique or Toinette are impressed with Argan’s choice of a fiancé for his daughter.

Argan’s brother, Monsieur Beralde (Paul Schweigert), played on his brother’s penchant for faux illnesses while Toinette schemed to stop the marriage. The final scenes of the play are designed to show Argan his family’s true colors and how he can help himself instead of using his daughters to get the medical expertise he desires.

Peirod harpsichord music by Dick Reichman was light and melodic and did not distract from the dialogue on stage. However the music did overpower Stoneburner who was hard to hear when singing.

Ann Freitag’s costume design delivered some rich historical dresses for the women of the Argan family and a hilarious mad scientist look for Keven Green as the apothecary.

Bolkvadze stole the show delivering much laughter as the maid with a razor tongue. Bolkvadze and Robokoff’s Argan fed off each other to set the tone for this comedy. Stoneburner’s Beline was on the mark portraying a heartless gold-digger. Johnson and Hayden had enough chemistry to be convincingly in love. Paul Schweigert and Keven Green kept the audience engaged as the silly medical quacks and managed to do so with straight faces.

The Imaginary Invalid continues at Cyrano’s Off Center Playhouse through Nov. 16 with shows at 7 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays and 3 p.m. on Sundays.