presents
Moliere's
La Malade Imaginaire
(The Imaginary Invalid)
A thesis production of the graduating students of the Production Design and Technical Theater programs
Directed by George de Jesus III
Synopsis
Hypochondria, pomposity, and pretension gets an imaginative cure that will make you laugh like crazy.
Le Malade Imaginaire tells the story of Argan, a rich miserly hypochondriac wishing to have constant medical attention for free, decides to marry his daughter, Angelique to Thomas Diafoirus, a boring young doctor from a family of doctors. But Angelique, in love with another young man named Cleante, rejects the plan of his father. Hilarity ensues as Angelique, Cleante, Argan’s maid, Toinette and Argan's sibling, Beralde, all try to change Argan’s mind and expose the manipulations of his new wife, Beline.
Two stagings
Two versions of Le Malade Imaginaire will be staged. In both versions, imagination is presented both as a destructive force resulting in pretension, prejudice, and selfishness and as a creative stimulus that engenders love, care, and honesty.
August 15, 17 and 18
The first version adheres to the classical tradition of the Commedia Dell’arte, a theatrical form that originated in Italy and became popular in Europe in the 15th century. Commedia Dell’arte is the form that Moliere used in his plays and is characterized by physical comedy, improvisation, stock characters and the use of masks.
August 22, 24 and 25
The second version is a modern adaptation, "Le Praning Du Sining," written by George de Jesus III and set in an imagined hyper-real and cartoon-like theater world, the adaptation pokes fun at the pomposity of art and artists, and takes pot shots at everything from the travails theater companies, the artistry of indie films, the vanity of artists, the spurious scribbling of bloggers, the popularity of Broadway musicales and even the writer himself.
The adaptation transforms Argan from a hypochondriac miser to a neurotic, paranoid and overly stressed artistic director named Arman. Fueled by his paranoia and imagined troubles of their theater company, he decides to cast a showbiz personality/indie film actor Tom Toledo in the lead role of the play (a contemporary adaptation of Moliere’s Imaginary Invalid) of their resident playwright, Angeli. But Angeli, who wrote the lead role for theater actor, Clint, rejects the artistic vision of Arman. In the ensuing artistic differences and arguments, Angeli collaborates with the resident stage manager, Toni and the dramaturg, Vera to convince Arman to rethink his vision for the play and the theater company. Adding to the hilarity is the manipulations of the resident diva actress, Belinda, who desires a new lighting system so that she can still play ingénue roles even if she’s already in her 50’s.
Cast
Joel Saracho as Arman
Reuben Uy as Argan
Venue:
De La Salle College of St. Benilde School of Design & Arts Theater,
5th floor De La Salle College of St. Benilde School of Design & Arts Building,
950 Pablo Ocampo St. (formerly Vito Cruz St.), Malate, Manila
About the group
Vito Cruz Project is under De La Salle College of St. Benilde's School of Design and Arts. It stages the thesis productions of students taking Production Design and Technical Theater programs.
Contact 0917-502-0531 or thevitocruzproject@gmail.com
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