(Theatre Royal Bath Productions)
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The comic writing genius of Richard Bean, who has enjoyed
high acclaimed for his recent adaptation of the hugely popular One Man, Two
Guvnors in the West End, twinned with the ever-reliable production qualities of
the Theatre Royal Bath is sure to see Moliere’s The Hypochondriac flushed with
success!
Fully embracing the bawdy performance style of the era, with
plentiful measures of smut, wit, sauciness and melodram,a the company titillate
the audience with the trials and tribulations of a man and his family who are
as dysfunctional as his bowel movements. He believes he is plagued with a
myriad of ailments, teetering on the step of Death’s door, ready to fall
through at any moment. Of course, there is nothing at all wrong with him, other
than an idle mind and too much money, which allows the opportunity for his
vivid imaginings and the means to be indulged by the many doctors quick to
line their own pockets.
Tony Robinson is delightfully uninhibited in his portrayal
of Argan, the hypochondriac who is obsessed with daily enemas and forcing his
poor nursemaid, Toinette, to inspect and report on his stool samples as part of
her daily duties. Tracie Bennett is wonderfully expressive in this role and particularly
hilarious in the second act as she carries out her deception to rid her boss of
his fixations. Imogen Stubbs is perfect as the ‘gold-digging’ wife, who
blatantly carries on an affair with her solicitor, while patiently waiting for
her husband to keel over and pass on his fortune. All of the remaining cast
provide a superb collection of characters, giving excellent performances in the
telling of the story, with a notable interpretation of the unfortunate Thomas
Diafoirehoea by the talented Craig Gazey.
The show is interspersed with original, medically inspired,
comedy songs in a Monty Python style that Andrew Bevis delivers with impressive
vocals. The only questionable part of this production is the ending, which jars
and heads off in a direction that isn’t particularly necessary. However, it
certainly doesn’t spoil the enjoyment of this refreshingly frank and raucous farce
and the audience laughter was clear testament to the fact.
4 STARS
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