| The Doctor (In Spite Of Himself) | le poulet terrible |
| Written by Simonne Michelle-Wells |
| Friday, 10 April 2009 02:23 |
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The Doctor (in Spite of Himself) is a modern Australian translation of one Molière's
shorter plays. It’s a farcical attack on the medics of Molière's time, who
would trick unsuspecting patients with quackery and impressive, if not accurate,
language. The play centres around the character of a woodcutter (Footscray
council worker) named Sganarelle (Michael Cahill) who finds himself mistaken for a doctor when
his wife plays a trick on him. His new patient Lucinde, the daughter of a
wealthy businessman, is faking her illness to keep from being married off to
some undesirable of her father’s choosing. The ultimate cure, of course, is for
Lucinde to be united with her true love, which occurs amongst numerous digs at
the medical profession.
Translating a 1666 farce for a modern Australian audience inundated with some of the best comedy acts from around the globe for the Melbourne Comedy Festival is quite an ask, and Le Poulet Terrible give it their all, I’ll give them that. This production, however, really doesn’t hit its stride until the very end. The Dog Theatre, located at the back of the Dancing Dog Café, is a very small space for a farce, which means that the volume and the energy from the cast needs to be just right and, more importantly, unified, and it isn’t. Despite two stand-out performances from Natalie Carr (as Sganarelle’s wife and Lucinde’s lover), and David Kambouris (as Valere the henchman), it’s obvious that the lack of unity is more about the translation and direction than the performances. The entire cast is strong, but some (Carr and Kambouris particularly) have a strong handle on the art of farce and others don’t, and again, this seems to come down to a matter of direction. It just doesn’t work having one character in full period French costume and others in stubbies and Ugg boots. It’s a tricky thing to stage a period farce with all of its inherent sexist stereotypes and still present something new and refreshing. There are moments in The Doctor where Le Poulet Terrible achieve this – the dance number for one – but those moments are slightly too few. For a Comedy Festival event, the audience was oddly quiet. le poulet terrible presents The Doctor (In Spite Of Himself) By Moliere Directed by Alice Bishop Venue: The Dog Theatre | Dancing Dog Café/Bar, 42a Albert St, Footscray (Melways Ref: 42 C6 close to Footscray Train Station) Dates: 2 - 18 April / Preview April 1 Times: 8pm Tuesday to Saturday Tickets: Tickets: $23.50 / $16.50 Tightarse Tuesdays / Preview $15 Bookings: www.easytix.com.au / 9639 0096
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Comments (4)Subscribe to this comment's feed...
I am a very big fan of Moliere. I grew up in France and I have seen the Comedie Francaise many times perform the plays of our most famous poet. I must say I disagree with this review. I went to see this new company perform 'The Doctor'. The audience on this night made a very loud noise and there was much laughter. It was very much in the spirit of irreverent farce with large characters and very clever. The piece was fresh and it is very heartening to see a new translation with very skilled actors. I congratulate Le Poulet Terrible and I cannot wait for the next production. Well done on a hilarious and high quality show.
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April 12, 2009
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Thanks for your comment Ludivine. I'm very pleased that the audience enjoyed the show the night you attended.
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April 14, 2009
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Je suis allee voir le spectacle hier soir avec un groupe d'amis et of a tous ADORE!!! On a bien rigole. Bravo! Felicitations!
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April 15, 2009
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I attended on Sat.4th.and thoroughly enjoyed the show as did the rest of the audience judging by the noise and laughter during the performance ,considering the space the players had to work in the whole cast can feel very proud of their performance . I do not agree with the above review but I do agree that Valerie Carr and David Kambouris were excellent . Well done and good luck for the future
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April 15, 2009
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