Le médecin malgré lui

Composer Hector Berlioz proclaimed “Gounod is at his best!” in the opéra comique Le médecin malgré lui (The Doctor in Spite of Himself). In it, a drunken woodcutter plays physician. What could go wrong? Will his faux pas be found out? Will his patient—the beautiful Lucinde—overcome her illness to be reunited with her lover, Léandre? Will Lucinde’s father, Géronte, be outwitted? Zut alors !

Sganarelle, a boozy lumberjack, impersonates a doctor in this brilliant opéra comique based on the play by Molière. Confusion abounds! Will Sganarelle be discovered a fraud? Will his patient, the beautiful Lucinde, overcome her illness and be united with her lover Leandre? Will her father, Geronte, be outwitted by the “mock doctor?” Will anyone be left standing in the end? This is a work greatly admired by Stravinsky and Strauss, who considered it a masterpiece, and Berlioz who proclaimed it “Gounod is at his best!” Its elegant orchestration and vivid characters have enchanted audiences since its premiere and is sure to enchant you this coming fall. An added bonus will be the inclusion of the almost never heard recitatives created by Erik Satie for Diaghilev’s 1924 Monte Carlo revival.

WHEN:

November 9, Friday, 7:30 pm

November 11, Sunday, 2:00 pm

WHERE:

Huntington Avenue Theatre, Avenue of the Arts, Boston, MA

Presented by: Odyssey Opera of Boston

BUY TICKETS HERE