March 27, 2015
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A Night of French Theater at AGBU Toronto

  • The Tekeyan Armenian Cultural Association’s Hay Pem Theatre
    The Tekeyan Armenian Cultural Association’s Hay Pem Theatre Troupe of Montréal performs Molière’s Le malade imaginaire.
  • Le malade imaginaire is a farce that unmasks the folly of hu
    Le malade imaginaire is a farce that unmasks the folly of human behavior.
  • Director Nancy Issa Torosian intersperses dance and music th
    Director Nancy Issa Torosian intersperses dance and music throughout the performance.

In February 2015, AGBU Toronto welcomed the Tekeyan Armenian Cultural Association’s Hay Pem Theatre Troupe of Montréal for a performance of the play Le malade imaginaire [The Imaginary Invalid], a comédie-ballet by celebrated French playwright Molière.

Le malade imaginaire is a farce that unmasks the folly of human behavior and foibles, such as greed, selfishness and hypocrisy. The play begins with Argan, the protagonist and a hypochondriac, who insists that his daughter marry a doctor to ensure there would always be one on call to care for him. Hypocrisy is embodied in Argan’s second wife, who pretends to care for him, while only truly being concerned with inheriting his fortune.

Dissatisfied with the division of music and dance in the plays of the period, Molière integrated both music and dance into his production. Hay Pem director Nancy Issa Torosian followed suit by interspersing original compositions by Arden Arapyan and dance routines by the company’s actors throughout the performance.

“Although this work has been performed many times and in many different forms since 1673, it is as fresh and stimulating as if had been written yesterday, thanks mostly to a talented and charismatic ensemble of actors,” says Torosian.

For more information on AGBU Toronto, please see http://agbutoronto.org/

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