Rene Auberjonois and Nancy Robinette star in Shakespeare Theater’s The Imaginary Invalid.

It takes a nerd showing up for things to really get going in Shakespeare Theater’s production of The Imaginary Invalid.

And this is one hell of a nerd. As Thomas Diafoirus, unwelcome suitor to the young Angelique, Levi Ben-Israel has the bushy red hair, the dorky glasses. He sputters, sniffles and belches through his awkward advances to the young heiress, all the while making us delightfully uncomfortable. It’s a laugh-out loud kind of scene that really makes you appreciate both Moliere’s wit and Ben-Israel antics. Unfortunately, it’s almost an hour before we get there.

Before that, Imaginary Invalid is a slapstick-heavy farce featuring appealing actors, but there’s only so long you can be amused by their swatting at each other. The main adversaries are Argan, a rich hypochondriac (Rene Auberjonois; Odo from Deep Space Nine, speaking of nerds) and his less-than-indulgent servant Toinette (Nancy Robinette). The two are world-class actors; Auberjonois is particularly adept at milking his character’s injuries and playing the fool; Robinette appears to be having a ball as her character mocks the ridiculous Argan. It’s just hard to sustain interest for the amount of time they spend clawing at each other.