Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-04-16
MOLIERE IN ENGLISH
BY COBURN PLAYERS
Hfhe Imaginary Invalid "
Amuses Large Audience
at Broad Street Theatre
BRUNING AS DIAFORIUS

THE IMAGINARY INVALID. comedy in
three acts BY Moliere. Produced By MI
.nd Mrs, Coburn. Broad street The3tre; a,,ir,;
NrEan. Malade Imaginaire ...,,, .Mr. OooutH
Belins. second wife OF Argqnna ,,,.o wilson
Anxenque. daughter Of Argsu, beloved
''r by Cleante -. Miss Lolita Westman
I.ouison. youngest daIyFhteL On Of ATI%ni ysii man
peralde. Argan's brother. Mr.. Lark Taylor
cisante suitor to Anseliqli,. ryr, starting
Monsieur DiatOrius physician, a,,,,r, prnolnr
Thomas Diaforius. his son, syltor {?
AnReiique AR. Harold de Becker
Monsieur Purgon' Arsaps d}gt6oni' e. Iurb.-
Monsieur Fleurant, apothccgry. ,,.,o,,rr,
Anotsocary., s,sl,,an, Mr. MI Mr. Ta'w wnism oPis@
Apotheeary.s assistant. Mr. HarTL fI2unrrIisS
.Apotheearg's assistant Mr. Jonh "'''eS
Aon'isO' D0'"''0''' "O'' NJ. Henry nugAeer
roinette. servant woman, Mt, MIS- nSnHr2 noGH9gT
D-"e'r 4 band Of siroilins players, ...,. H.,
psTrlhss TIE sSSne TiTn., is room !" N'''" ''''''
The French language is the only true
preservative of Moliere's wit. His sense
OF humorous characterization, however
survives in other verbal attires, and II
was this quality which was necessarily
most strongly accented in the English
production of "rhe Imaginary Invalid
Gle NIalade ImaginaireD, given last
evening at the Broad street Theatre by
the coburn Players. These ambitious
interpreters read in the piece in the
spirit of quaint, broad. but not noisy.
farce. So handled, the play had "a cer-
tain naivete and considerable potency
OF comic appeal. promptly realized by
large and friendly audience. or the
original Gallo sparkle so invigoraungIy
expressed by the VieuN-Colombier COM
pany in "L'Avare" last week. few eVI-
dences were given.
Yet. considering all the difficulties Of
their self-imposed task, the Coburns did
passably well. Neither OF these princi-
pals is an actor of much Inspiration
They have. however, intelligence and
taste. and these attributes prompted
them to considerably underplay rather
than extensively to overact their roles.
Mr.. Coburn's Argan, the classic hypo-
chondriac Of all drama, was an amusing
figure, conceived along lines Of elemental
simplicity. Toinette, by his footlght aud
domestic partner, was somewhat tGmely
presented Mrs. Coburn has excellent
diction and a pleasing personality but
the precious quality Of magnetism 50
essential to a fitting performance of this
saucy part seems absent from her ar
tistic makeup
BY far the best portraits OF the eve
ming were the elder Diaforius Of Albert
Bruning. one of the most accomplished
genre actors OF the American stage and
formerly a lumiuary Of the il-fated
New Theatre company, and the nincom-
poop son Thomas Of Harold de Becker.
In these two creations Moliere's eXtrava-
giant burlesque of the medical profess
sion is unstaled even when an English
text is employed. Bernard Shaw was
very possibly now unmindful of this
merry raillery when he penned THE
Doctors Dilemma" Most Of the other
players with the exception Of Lynn
Startling, who, as Cleante, made the
most of the operate impromptu, gave
the impression of being earnest anna
teurs.
Edith Elis's so-called adaptation Of
the farce was in the main respectful of
the text. Her departures. as is usually
the case in attempts to improve acknowl-
edged masterpieces, We're chiefly imperti-
nent and silly. There is no artistic gain
In the grotesque byplay Of Argan's at
tendants. which she interpollated as act
finales. Similar emendations often dis
figure Shakespearean representations,
but such precedents with respect TO our
own greatest dramatist furnish no eX-
cuse for manhandling Frances also.
II. T. c.