Electric Lodge
1416 Electric Ave
310.306.1854
This event has passed.
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Clara Bellar, Brad Schmidt, Charles Fathy in The Doctor Despite Himself. Photo: Stanley Newton
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- When
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Oct 2, 2009 – Nov 8, 2009
Fridays–Saturdays (8pm)
Sundays (2 & 7pm)
- Where
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- Price
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$20
- Links
Gulu Monteiro and Clara Bellar's Ipanema Theater Troupe's adaptation of 17th-century French playwright Molière's The Doctor Despite Himself regales with its pitch-perfect satirical wit and comedic timing. Swinda Reichelt's costume design, besides being a work of art in its own right, is an integral part of the narrative, expressing the inner zaniness of characters as well as the absurd nature of social constructs. Inspired by the Bauhaus-era work of German artist Oskar Schlemmer's Triadic Ballet, the eye-popping costumes blend old world commedia dell'arte with a Modernist sensibility. And it's exactly that kind of old-new style and high-low farce that drives the production. Between the clowning, the cheeky send-ups of pharmaceutical ads, very fine acting, and fast-paced delivery, audiences aged 5-95 will find more than enough to laugh about—which is, after all, "the best medicine," even if the play claims that love cures all.
