The Doctor in Spite of Himself by Molière

A contemporary take on one of the rarest Molière farces about his own creative journey

Lycée Francais CDG / Drayton Arms / Exchange Theatre

Directed by David Furlong

David Furlong OFFIE nominated for BEST DIRECTOR

“High voltage energy and clever direction, The Doctor entertains thoroughly.” UK Theatre Net

★★★★ Londontheatre 1 

★★★★ MiddlePeg Review

★★★★ Everything Theatre 

“Rock and roll Molière, … excellent performances by the cast, and masterful comedic style. … Exchange Theatre’s version of Molière is clever, very funny and well adapted for contemporary audiences.” ★★★★ The Upcoming

“The company’s talent and vision is highly commendable and deserving of larger production values; their commitment to bringing audiences high quality French theatre in intimate venues makes them one to watch.” The Play’s the Thing UK

Molière Meets breaking bad

Group of seven people dressed in colorful, retro, or quirky clothing, standing against a plain curtain background, with some making expressive faces and holding props like a fan and a bust.

The Doctor in Spite of Himself is here in the UK, one of the least produced of Molière’s plays when compared to The Misanthrope, Tartuffe, or The Hypochondriac. Sganarelle, a woodcutter, a drunk and a brute, beats his wife, Martine. To avenge herself, she makes believe that her husband is a doctor but who would only work after being beaten up. Lucinde, Géronte’s daughter, in love with Léandre, doesn’t agree to her mother’s arranged marriage to Horace. She pretends to be mute as a way to protest. Géronte appoints Sganarelle to treat her daughter. After being beaten up by the servants, he starts taking his new position seriously. Against all odds, this doctor, in spite of himself, performs miracles. Lucinde’s voice comes back to stand up for her marriage to Léandre. Géronte accepts him as her son-in-law when he inherits a little fortune. Sganarelle forgives his wife and lives on to be a doctor. 

Molière  

Le Medecin Malgré Lui was Molière’s return to farces and one of his most successful plays. Prior to this, Molière, the leader of a travelling company that he took on the roads for ten years, saw himself as a popular entertainer and a village buffoon. Back in Paris, crowned by a national popularity, he was welcomed beside the King’s brother at court and triumphed again with his trestles comedies. Transported by such a success, he started thinking of himself as a proper playwright and dared tackle some more mature and critical comedies with more dense reflexions. He was then submitted to a very harsh criticism and censorship from false critics and false devouts, all the pretenders he hated so much.  

Actor, director, and satirist at the top of his art, he wrote, in spite of himself, The Doctor in order to regain success. He projected in the main character of Sganarelle, who is forced to lie to the world in order to regain credit, his own deception of not being able to be taken seriously by his more accomplished works. When his previous plays, almost philosophical, dealt with existentialist matters, Molière did not hesitate to fall back into a great triviality. The play was an absolute triumph. Molière added a marvellous derisive take to the heritage of Italian Commedia Dell’Arte and defined French farces.

Director’s note

Misunderstandings, comedy, wits, prank, mockery. The play’s success goes beyond any other and offers Molière an opportunity to even mock his own audience whilst reflecting on his own creation. Unknowingly, he also defines the heritage of French comedies that would follow and will be studied for centuries in French classrooms, where mostly all the parts about scatology and sex will be kept silent… 

Molière said, “Comedies are only made to be performed”. Our production of The Doctor In Spite of Himself not only offers a British audience the chance to see this rare classic comedy but also the opportunity to have a very contemporary and slightly chaotic look at the ‘upstarts’ and into the mind of a genius in a very true but contemporary version. 

As part of the rehearsal, our research and development work on a Molière produced in Shakespeare’s land suddenly took us on some path we did not imagine. Just as if The Bard and his supernatural elements (as in The Tempest or Midsummer Night’s Dream) would logically have to appear and tease and poke at our classics. As a result, this production is the fruit of many months of work with the laughing energy from Molière associated with the magic of Shakespeare. What a great exchange.

Four people looking through a window, with one woman wearing a gray wig and a yellow blouse, onstage.

Creative Team

Directed by David Furlong

Translated by David Furlong

Set Design by Annick Bosson

Lighting Design by Camille Bortz

With Anita Adam Gabay, Caroline Roussel, Jacqueline Berces, Rachel Gemaehling. Fanny Dulin, Leo Elso, Victor Klein, David Furlong, Matt Mella, Lula Suassuna, Alexandra Bergeron and Yanouchka Wenger Sabbatini

Two men in suits and one man in work overalls are working with a table on a stage with black curtains. The man in overalls is bending over, working on the table, while the other two men watch. 
Sganarelle's wood workshop
A man peering through a curtain behind a window, with a serious expression. 
Lula Suassunna as Lucas
Three actors on stage, two men and one woman, with serious expressions, dressed in vintage and leather clothing, standing against a dark background. 
Rachel Gemaehling
Three actors on stage, one dressed as a doctor, another in casual clothing with a black leather jacket, and a third woman with her back to the camera, with audience members watching.
Three actors on stage, one holding a tool.
A man wearing a blue jumpsuit, smiling and standing onstage near a table with wooden pieces, holding a small saw.
A woman in hospital gown and a man in purple scrubs and hair net are engaged in a playful moment, with the man holding a stick near the woman's tongue.
Person dressed in a nurse costume with a headband, glasses, and a nightshirt, dancing on a stage with beige curtains. 
Victor Klein as Leandre
Three people standing indoors, with a dark background. The man in the middle, wearing a leather jacket and checkered shirt, holds a small object. The woman on the right, with long red hair and wearing colorful clothing, looks at the man, holding a glass. The third person, on the left, is partially visible, wearing glasses and a suit. 
Victor Klein, Lula Suassunna, and Alexandra Bergeron
Six actors on stage during a theatrical performance. Two are seated, and four stand behind them. One seated woman has dark hair and wears a black top with a cat face design and a red skirt. The other seated woman has long dark hair, a white top, and a light green skirt. One standing woman with her hair in a ponytail wears a white sleeveless blouse and a light green skirt. A man with dark hair and a leather jacket stands with arms crossed. Another man is sitting, dressed in purple scrubs and a hairnet, holding a small object. An older woman with bright red hair, wearing a purple blazer with gold buttons and a floral skirt, extends a hand holding a white paper towards the seated man.
Two actors onstage: a man dressed as a nurse and a man dressed as a medical professional with a hairnet, in front of a curtain and a backdrop resembling a hospital room.
A person dressed as a doctor helps a person walk in heels during a performance on a stage, with an audience watching.
Two men in conversation, one wearing a suit, and the other wearing a leather jacket, standing against a dark background.