Bill Irwin is one of our greatest clowns, so an adaptation of Molière’s The Imaginary Invalid should be a no-brainer.  The play is a satire about Argan, a doctor-obsessed perpetual patient who squanders the happiness of those he loves in favor of the quacks who exploit him.  The action is perfectly suited to Irwin’s strengths: his easy facility with hat tricks, his rubbery movements, the way he freezes every time the “enema [is] kicking in.”  It feels as if he could play this Pantalone from muscle memory.

The stage is filled with other able actors.  Dylan Baker as Argon’s brother, Rachel Bloom as his maid, Crystal A. Dickinson as his wife, Ava Lalezarzadeh as his daughter, and Hiram Delgado as her suitor are all fluent in the commedia dell’arte form, which is broader than conventional Broadway acting.  The set design by Beowulf Boritt is handsome, a pared-down variation of the French baroque of Molière’s period, with ornate moldings of muted green.  I also appreciated the ceiling, which helps frame the stage and prevents the actors from getting swallowed up by the space above their heads.  The costumes, designed by Karen Perry, are bright and bold and colorful (and also ornate), popping against the background.

Still, I can’t help but feel underwhelmed.  Irwin is a master, but it doesn’t seem like he is stretching himself, exploring new territory as an actor.  The audience laughed throughout The Imaginary Invalid, but I never experienced the one sensation I most associate with Irwin, who is not only an actor but also a clown and a magician: enchantment.

The Imaginary Invalid runs through November 22nd at the Todd Haimes Theatre. 227 W. 42nd Street New York, NY. 1 hour 30 minutes. No intermission. Photograph by Joan Marcus.