written by molière
adapted by christopher bayes and steven epp
directed by christopher bayes
a co-production with yale repertory theatre
main season | roda theatre
february 10–march 25, 2012 
Running time: 90 minutes, no intermission
the play
Molière’s classic comedy comes to uproarious new life in a clever and contemporary adaptation from one of Berkeley Rep’s favorite artists. Steven Epp delighted audiences as Figaro and The Miser—now he’s back with A Doctor in Spite of Himself. The traditional story of a girl feigning illness to avoid an unwanted wedding erupts into hilarity when Epp decides to play doctor. In a pitch-perfect production punctuated with live music, this ridiculous physician proves that love and laughter remain life’s best medicine.
Please note: A Doctor in Spite of Himself includes strobe and smoke effects. We offer this information in case it’s of concern to your health, but this advisory is not comprehensive. If you have questions, please contact the box office.
the buzz
“Ingenious…There’s seemingly no end to the comic invention in this Doctor. Bayes, Epp and the rest of the wickedly funny cast cram the play with expertly executed classical routines, shtick, slapstick, sight gags, musical gags, political digs and a lot more…It’s a visual fun fest, from the ongoing interplay between Matt Saunders’ farcical stage and puppet sets and Kristin Fiebig’s array of 17th century and silent-film costumes to the puppetry of Renata Friedman. And it’s a musical treat, from the clever rap, soul, Broadway and opera singing and Aaron Halva’s score to the fine-tuned musicians Greg C. Powers and Robertson Witmer. Epp pours his considerable comic genius into Sganarelle, the loutish woodcutter cudgeled into pretending to be a ‘genius doctor’—and finding he rather likes it (the role originally played by Molière, who allowed himself plenty of room for improvisation). His tongue-twisting arias of mock Latin, medical jargon and phallic wood-whacking terms are crudely polished gems. He gets plenty of support at every turn. Allen Gilmore is outstanding as the bulbous, rap-operatic Géronte—the wealthy man seeking a doctor to cure his daughter, as are Friedman as goth-girl feigned invalid Lucinde and a pop-idol Chivas Michael as her beloved, ‘the fabulous Léandre.’ Julie Briskman is a delight as the titillated wet nurse who catches the fake doctor’s eye. Justine Williams is a bumptious caricature as Sganarelle’s scrappy wife and Liam Craig and Jacob Ming-Trent turn in deft comic duets as Géronte’s servants.”—San Francisco Chronicle
“Gleefully ridiculous…Ludicrousness is raised to the level of high art…The pranksters pour Molière into a blender with nonstop boob jokes, hip-hop beats, an Occupy lampoon and, apropos of nothing in particular, ABBA tributes (count ‘em, three!). The shtick flies…From LOL-worthy pop-culture nods to hoary old sight gags, this farce never met a punch line it didn’t like…Shout-outs to everything from Orinda and Rita Moreno to The Music Man come so fast you risk a kitsch hangover.”—San Jose Mercury News / Bay Area News Group
“Absolutely hysterical…Watching Epp work his comic magic is such a tremendous pleasure—his Sganarelle, a doofus lumberjack who fools everyone into thinking he’s a doctor, is a master class in how to get laughs by doing just about anything and everything but knowing exactly when and how to do it. Happily, Epp is surrounded by actors and musicians who are as adept as he and having almost as much fun. This is wonderfully stupid comedy played by experts—it feels like a lark, but it’s masterful frivolity…This production is just what the doctor ordered.”—Chad Jones’ Theater Dogs
“Brilliant…Deliciously re-engineered for the 21st century…The adapters, Christopher Bayes and Steven Epp, have embedded Molière in a gleeful whirligig of song and shtick, blending random snippets of pop culture (‘I’ve fallen and I can’t get up!’) with classic slapstick routines. They’ve even worked in an Occupy joke. If you can imagine Pee Wee Herman and The Music Man sharing the stage with Monty Python’s Flying Circus, you get the idea…As for Moliére, he would laugh in spite of himself.”—New York Times
“Smartly choreographed anarchy, combining old gags and new…For cheerful, nimble, bawdy silliness, this dish of meringue is hard to resist.”—Seattle Times
“A fun night for everyone…Bayes’ take on Molière’s carnivalesque satire of the medical profession is a low-stakes fusion of commedia dell’arte and vaudeville—dry-rubbed with lewdness, scatology, pop music, and political incorrectness.”—Seattle Weekly
“Immensely entertaining…Just what the doctor ordered…This show is bright, breezy and thoroughly ridiculous in spite of itself. Epp and Bayes work magic…The cast works like an overwound clock, ticking off comic bits, schtick and slap-schtick like crazy. (The wordplay is inspired. I especially like ‘mamormous bababazoonage.’) The bits get so stacked up that at one hysterical point, Sganarelle shouts out, ‘When is this play going to start?’ But as long as the laughs come as they do, no one really cares.”—Hartford Courant
“Doctor is a fast-paced hoot…The show is a dizzyingly giddy experience marked by precisely executed comic business…It is relentless in its barrage of physical gags, wordplay, pop culture references and more. The production is a full-out assault on the funny bone.”—New Haven Register
“Bawdy and hilarious…It’s silly, clever, fast paced and the best time I’ve had in a theater in quite some time.”—Broadway World
multimedia
The Doctor is in!
Get a sneak peek at A Doctor in Spite of Himself and prepare to get your funny bone examined.
press photos
production co-sponsor
Mechanics Bank
Wealth Management
season sponsors
