3-01 The Imaginary Invalid

I attended Southeastern’s production of The Imaginary Invalid and watched the entire play.
My grandmother always used to take me to see The Nutcracker when I was younger so I've had a little bit of exposure to theatre but I haven't had much. I have, however, enjoyed the plays I have seen. Watching The Imaginary Invalid was a great experience and it has given me a new appreciation for theatre. It really is literature being played out right in front of you. I was able to engage and experience the material in a new way through being able to watch it acted out. This was really cool for me because I could see the reactions of the people in the story and better picture what was happening.
One of my favorite parts of the play was when Cleante and Angelique sang the opera song for Argan, Mr. Diafoirus, and Thomas Diafoirus. In this scene, Cleante was telling a story of a father who denied his daughter’s wishes to marry the man she loved and forced her to marry another separating them forever. Cleante was referring to Argan in this opera but he did not catch on. Argan began exclaiming what a horrible thing that was to do; blind to the fact that he was doing that very thing to his daughter. This was a reflection on how many people react sometimes in reality. We look at a situation and make judgments of other people and their actions but when we are in a similar situation we expect that people should view it differently. This scene showed the irony in what Argan says and what he does but it is also something that many people encounter every day.
I really enjoyed this play because it told the story of two lovers with humor and in a way that is relatable to all. I also liked that many different types of art were incorporated into this production including acting, dance, instruments, and singing.