But the real people who make the Mather House Invalid an enjoyable experience are the supporting players. Just as the leads start to sag, another absolutely hilarious bit player comes in to bolster the show.

David Margolin as the notary and Beline's lover is wonderful. He uses his uncanny resemblance to Marty Feldman to make big money with the audience as he and Beline paw each other under Argan's nose. Stacia Zabusky's Beline is sleazy to the point of being reptilian and is very effective.

The two best parts of the show involve the doctors. Randy Clark and Samuel Krisch save the first act with their hilarious portrayal of pere et fils Diafoirus. Krisch is particularly funny as the nerdy med student, and he was grotesquely amusing as he made bungling advances to Angelique.

Likewise, just as act two begins to drag, it is saved by Josh Kratka's walk-on as M. Purgon, Argan's doctor. Looking and acting like Dr. Frankenstein, Kratka devastated the audience while cursing Argan for refusing an enema. With his slapstick antics he stole the scene (and very possibly the show) from everyone.

Maury Leiter as Cleante shines in his dance number with Angelique, and Jaleh Poorooshasb is appropriately snotty as the younger sister.

There are some other nice touches in the production, particularly the two dances and the peppy Tom Lehrer-esque number which closes the play. the set and lighting are fairly standard; there is no striving for any exotic effects. The drummer for the jazz combo is terrific; go early so you can hear him work out.

All in all, the Mather Invalid is an amusing, if not overly polished outing. But if you remember that Mather House isn't Broadway, you'll have an enjoyable evening. Moliere's play is strong enough to carry its own weight and with the help of the aforementioned outstanding supporting players, The Imaginary Invalid can be a real belly laugh. Unless of course you are a pre-med or a humorless hypochondriac.