Quintessence has a treat for you. Alexander Burns is at it again with his deft touch. The Hypochondriac is an adaptation of Moliere, who must have had a ball with his pretended piety and fooling around. The show opens with stately nonsense, a dance routine with colorful tops and shorts.
Moliere wrote The Imaginary Invalid in 1673, producing a splendid comedic romp in unabashedly poor taste. His play combines comedy, music, and dance, illustrating French aristocratic folly in their over dependence on those practicing medicine. Quintessence has based The Hypochondriac on an adaptation of the original, adding a King Louis character and some lines of dialogue.
A woman is cast as the father. Later the King Louis character takes on the role. And the poor sick fellow has to have colonic irrigation… nice. You figure that this show is going to be crazy. And it is. Although it’s sometimes hard to hear the songs, it’s still the silliest possible nonsense. Hours of rehearsal surely went into the polished absurdities. Wonderfully coordinated and joyfully choreographed dance routines are set to unexpected varieties of music. With colorful costumes, wonderful props, and sprightly dance numbers perfectly performed, the cast is exuberant, and the direction is inspired.
Outrageous and farcical, this play is not just over the top – it’s left the top so far behind that they’ve forgotten where it left it. The applause at the end was wild.
[Quintessence Theatre, 7137 Germantown Ave] April 15–May 10, 2026; quintessencetheatre.org
Director: Trey Lyford
Translation: Sir Ranjt Bolt
Cast: Jered McLenigan, Eleni Delopoulos, Tenara Calem, Hanna Gaffney, Taylor Congdon, Conlan Ledwith, Christopher Patrick Mullen, Ryan Pater, Paul Guerin
2hrs & 30 min., with a 15 minute intermission