Molière in the Park returns to Prospect Park this season with an ambitious new production of “The Imaginary Invalid,” in an energetic reimagining of Molière’s classic comedy. Starring Tony and Olivier Award nominee Sahr Ngaujah, the production combines original choreography by FlexN dancer Cal Hunt and live music by cellist Johnathan Moore to create a modern take on the 17th-century French masterpiece.

Written by Molière in the final days of his life, “The Imaginary Invalid” is a sharply satirical look at hypochondria, fear of illness and the ways these anxieties can be manipulated. Argan, the play’s anxious protagonist, grapples with his imagined ailments. Molière’s biting humor and wit shine through to remind the audience that even in the face of mortality, laughter is a powerful cure.

“Chekhov has been a favorite this spring (when is he not?), but now it’s Molière’s turn, with two productions of his classic comedy from 1673. The first is from Molière in the Park — Prospect Park in Brooklyn, that is — and stars Sahr Ngaujah (“Fela!,” “Moulin Rouge! The Musical”) as Argan, a hypochondriac entangled with scheming family members, servants and doctors.” — Elisabeth Vincentelli, New York Times 13 Off Broadway Shows to See in May

“The Imaginary Invalid … was also translated as The Hypochondriac. Molière wrote the play while ill, and he collapsed during his own performance of the title role, that of Argan, a hypochondriac who fears death and doctors. (Molière died later that day.) The Imaginary Invalid is powerful in its delineation of medical cant and self-serving professionalism, of the fatuity of a would-be doctor with no sense, and of the contrasting normality of the young and sensible lovers.” — Britannica