Bill Irwin's The Imaginary Invalid Opens on Broadway Tonight
Bill Irwin's The Imaginary Invalid Opens on Broadway Tonight
Bill Irwin's version of Molière's The Imaginary Invalid opens on Broadway tonight, October 23, at the Todd Haimes Theatre, Deadline reported. The play is presented by Roundabout Theatre Company, a nonprofit that stages productions in New York.
Molière wrote the original as a comedy with music and dance in 1673. Irwin's adaptation is a pared-down version that runs about 90 minutes, which is short for a Broadway play. Brandon J. Dirden directs.
Irwin plays Argan, a wealthy aristocrat who believes he is seriously ill. A hypochondriac is someone who constantly worries about being sick. Dylan Baker plays Argan's brother, Beralde. Crystal A. Dickinson plays Beline, Argan's wife, and Ava Lalezarzadeh plays Angelique, the couple's daughter. Daniel Croix Henderson plays Cleante, Angelique's beloved. Rachel Bloom plays Toinette, a servant. Brooks Ashmanskas plays a doctor, and Hiram Delgado plays a doctor's son whom Argan wants as a son-in-law.
The design team has built the show around a 17th-century look. Beowulf Boritt designed the set, a great room from that period. Karen Perry designed the costumes, which are color-coded. John Gromada wrote the original music.
The production began performances on September 25, in what theater people call previews. Previews are performances held before the official opening, while a show is still being fine-tuned in front of audiences. Broadway.com reported the start date at the time.
In early October, Deadline reported that the show had filled 90% of the seats at the Haimes. Capacity is the share of seats sold, so 90% means nine out of every ten seats were filled. A later Deadline report said the show had grossed $428,094 while in previews. Gross is the total in ticket sales before anything is subtracted for costs.
The run is scheduled to close on November 22, 2026, about a month after the opening. Irwin is a Tony Award winner, the prize given each year for Broadway work.
For a first-time ticket buyer, the basic math is simple. A Broadway show needs a steady flow of sales to cover its weekly running costs, which include the cast, crew, theater rent, and the rest of the payroll. Most shows also need to recoup, meaning they have paid back the money raised to get the doors open. This production has a set end date, so its numbers will be read against that calendar.
Irwin, an actor known for physical comedy, takes on a role that calls for both fast timing and a clown's sense of the ridiculous. The show's brief running time may be part of its appeal for audiences who want a full night out without a long evening in the seats.
