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Printer-Friendly ModeActors shine in Chekhov classics
February 8, 2010 —
“And forgive my frankness, a sparrow could out-think a philosopher who wears a skirt!”
So exclaims Grigory Smirnov in Anton Chekhov’s classic short play The Bear, performed last Thursday and Friday in the Black Box Theatre. The play, paired with another Chekhov one-act, The Proposal, delighted the audience with its farcical take on the battle of the sexes. Theatre professor Steven Erickson directed the studio show.
The Bear is a comedy about a recent widow, Yelena Popova (Erinn Holm), and her encounter with the boorish and desperate landowner Smirnov (Rusty Myers). When Smirnov comes to Popova to collect a debt her husband owes him, sexist comments fly between the two in a fast-paced war of words.
But as the argument turns toward the question of whether men or women are more loyal in a relationship, both characters touch a nerve. Each has experienced disloyalty in past partners, and they become so angry they agree to a duel with pistols.
Then, just as the two are about to kill one another, they quickly (and comically) change their minds, and the short play ends with a kiss between the two.
After moving around the few pieces of furniture that made up the set, the cast performed The Proposal.
In a similar vein to The Bear, the story concerns Ivan Lomov (Myers), a man who dresses in his nicest attire to ask his neighbor’s daughter to marry him. The special occasion is ruined by a series of petty arguments so stressful that Lomov has a heart attack.
When the daughter, Stepanova (Holm), sees the unconscious Lomov, she panics. But Lomov recovers, and the pair end up engaged — even as they continue to argue about who owns the better dog.
Both plays featured spare set decoration and a slim cast of only three actors.
Holm played both female leads. Her performance was convincing and dramatic while still eliciting easy laughs from the audience.
Myers played the male leads in both plays. Though he stumbled over a few lines, he was still able to keep his composure, which helped preserve the real organic feel of theatre.
The minor characters of Popova’s servant and Stepanovna’s father were played by Jerry Dennis. Dennis proved there are no small parts by delivering an enthusiastic performance that made the audience laugh many times.
Lighting and costumes were key to The Bear. The characters were clothed all in black, and the dreariness of death and mourning was amplified by the dim lights and dark surroundings.
As the play progressed, a warmer, brighter light became apparent and was especially noticeable at the end when Popova and Smirnov share a kiss.
The Proposal was a visible brighter play from the beginning. The characters wore more colors and the light remained bright throughout.
Both plays were strengthened by their venue, The Black Box Theatre. With small casts and compressed settings (both plays took place in a single room), much of the performance would have been lost on a bigger stage.
The closeness of the audience to the three actors and the simplicity of the set added to the intimacy and the dramatic effect of the plays. At times the tension was so thick that an event as mundane as Dennis bumping a lamp caused some audience members to gasp.