Invalid & August take the cake

A few words regarding The Imaginary Invalid…


Oded Gross and Tracy Young have adapted and re-imagined Molière's 17th century comedy "The Imaginary Invalid" as a musical with mixed results. Picking up a French Restoration satire and placing it in the 1960s is not an easy task.

David Kelly (last year’s Fallstaff and a brilliant comedic actor) plays the wealthy Argan, a hypochondriac and father of two mod daughters Angelique (Kimbre Lancaster) and Louison (Nell Geisslinger). The play is generally classified as a comedy of manners, as it deals with tactless characters and romance among other various subject manners.

The production seems to highlight the efforts of a remarkable maid, Toinette, as she tries to keep the rumpus household in check and at peace. K.T. Vogt's smirking servant shines in every way as she manipulates the household for the betterment of the family.

The main action involves Angelique's suitor Cleante (Christopher Livingston) as he attempts to disrupt Argan's plan to have his daughter marry medical student, Thomas Diafoirus (the comically skilled Daisuke Tsuji), so there will always be a doctor in the house. At the same time, Argan's life-loving brother Beralde (Jeffrey King) wants to dispose of all the medicine in Argan's life, while maintaining a secretive love-affair with the household servant Toinette.

Large musical numbers, gross and physical comedy bring two hours of entertainment to the stage. A visual pleasure!

Some thoughts about August: Osage County…

August: Osage County, is a Pulizer Prize winning show that I have previously mentioned in my blog. It centers around the dysfunctional dynamics of a family coping with a father's suicide, a mother's addiction to pills, divorces, scandals and incest against the backdrop of Oklahoma.

OSF’s production certainly invokes the atmosphere of a midwestern setting: presenting the audience with an almost full scale house on the Angus Bowmer stage. It is clear from the talented ensemble cast of actors, the OSF has tremendous acting company.

What if Violet was your mother?

When Aristotle described theatre in his Poetics, he said tragedies must include opsis (Greek for spectacle). The Elizabethans also believed in creating spectacle, though too much could be seen as witchcraft. In this regard, the Ahmanson Theatre’s production of August: Osage County did not disappoint. The detailed 3-storied Oklahoma home sitting on the premium stage like a giant doll house was a spectacle in itself, but was not to be outdone by the performance of Estelle Parsons as Violet Weston. Encompassed in a sea of painkillers, alcohol and cigarettes, Violet summons her immediate family to her home after the mysterious disappearance of her husband, Beverly. The first indication that something is seriously wrong with the Weston family comes with Violet, played by the 82 year old actress, tromping down the stairs like a lightning speed bobble-head. With insanity and chaos swarming the house, eldest daughter Barbara attempts to take control of the house. The show is funny, tragic, horrific, engaging and utterly brilliant. Among the pill popping matriarch, missing patriarch, sexual infidelity, incest, drunken brawls, and betrayal is a potent truth that spoke to me on multiple levels. And you thought your family was dysfunctional? The characters are sharp witted with biting tongues. They dealt insults with epic Shakespearian-like power. The 3 hours performance flew by in a flash and standing ovations were to be had for all.

Performances are Tuesdays through Fridays at 7:30 p.m.; Saturdays at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.; Sundays at 1 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.; No performances on Mondays. September 9 through October 18, 2009. Tickets are $20-80. The Ahmanson: 135 N. Grand Avenue in Downtown L.A.. For more info call (213) 972-4400 or visit www.CenterTheatreGroup.org.