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Honorary Fellow: Association For Scottish Literary Studies

“If we investigate only by physical and chemical means, we can only get physical and chemical answers.”

Sir Alister Hardy, FRS

The Hypochondriak

Translation/adaptation of Le Malade Imaginaire commissioned by the Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh. Premiere 1987. Directors Gerry Mulgrew and John Matthews.

Following the lessons learned from the The Misanthrope for Radio, the translation was made direct from old French into Scots and reduced to two acts - a decision that allowed extra humour to be developed to end act one and commence act two. With respect to the original, the essence of the impossible Interludes was retained where appropriate and a very talented cast committed themselves unstintingly to the challenges of the production.

Despite years of management forebodings concerning expected audience reactions to plays in Scots, the production got off to a great start, with a young and enthusiastic Preview audience drinking the theatre bar dry.

“brisk, cheerful, utterly natural annexation of French culture” Financial Times

“an evening of uproarious fun” Glasgow Herald

“Rousing, rip-roaring popular success” The Guardian.

The play enjoyed a revival at Dundee Rep, directed by Hamish Glen, who later mounted a very successful production in Finland [Scots translated into Finnish] which ran in a number of theatres.

Published in Serving Twa Maisters. ASLS, University of Glasgow. 2005.

Hardback [ISBN 0 948877 63 4]. Paperback [ISBN 0 948877 64 2]

Ref: Moliere in Scotland. Noel Peacock. University of Glasgow French and German Publications. 1993. [ISBN 0 85261 392 X]

Alexander, R. Edinburgh Review. 2000.