The Phony Physician

The Phony Physician

The Phony Physician

The Phony Physician

Overview

Adapted from Moliere's The Doctor in Spite of Himself. Skelly is the laziest fool in the village. He refuses to cut down trees because they are his only friends. To get even with her layabout husband, Mavis tells a wealthy man that Skelly is the most skilled physician in ten counties. And that to get him to work, Skelly must be beaten with a broom. So poor, bullied Skelly is forced to become a doctor and to the city he goes - with resulting comic confusions and side-splitting satirical commentary on the medical profession. In the end he cures Lucy (she was only faking her illness to avoid a pre-arranged marriage) and becomes the hero of the day. Filled with farcical action and vaudeville-like jokes, this comedy is easily staged and a guaranteed audience-pleaser.

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Details

  • Genre: Farce, Adaptations (Literature), Fables/Folktales, Period, Commedia del Arte
  • Time Period: 1920s, 1910s / WWI, 1900-1910, Victorian (British and American), 19th Century
  • Cast Attributes: Ensemble cast, Multicultural casting
  • Target Audience: Appropriate for all audiences

Authors

Thomas Hischak

Thomas Hischak is an internationally recognized author and teacher in the Performing Arts. He is the author of over forty published plays which are performed in the United States, Canada, Great Britain, and Australia. His playwriting awards include the Stanley Drama Award (Ne ...
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