Two writers, a dramatist and a master storyteller, come alive in The GoodDoctor . Written by the absurdist playwright Neil Simon, The Good Doctor is a tribute to the life and works of the Russian writer Anton Chekov. Barking Dog Productions, a prolific youth theatre group, will stage it this weekend.
Classy humour defines The Good Doctor as Neil Simon not only portrays Chekov’s humour but also gives expression to his own. “Chekov made fun of issues that society does not consider amusing, such as misery and poverty. Neil Simon’s humour, on the other hand, is more situational,” explains Vikram Hemanathan, founder of Barking Dog Productions.
The Good Doctor , as Neil Simon had once pointed out,cannot strictly be considered a play as it is a series of Chekov’s stories with the author as the narrator. These stories, however, were not randomly strung together by Neil Simon. “The play consists of nine stories and 11 scenes that flow seamlessly into a narrative whole,” explains Vikram.
The Good Doctor was so named because Chekov wrote stories while pursuing his medical studies and Neil Simon was known by the nickname ‘Doc’.
N. Rishikesh, the director of the play, says that The Good Doctor is one of the best plays he has come across. “Each story depicts a different side to Chekov. We have interpreted the stories in our own way to make the production more interesting.”
The Good Doctor opens and concludes with a monologue by The Writer, who is Chekov. “In real life Chekov was calm and composed but in the play we have portrayed him as eccentric to show Neil Simon’s wit,” explains Prateek Prajosh, who plays the character of Chekov.
The play is made highly entertaining by the wide range of odd characters in it. Deepak Hariharan describes the four different characters he plays.
“I play a bank manager, an old man, a tramp and The Writer as a 19-year-old youth.
The bank manager, who is suffering from gout, gets irritated by noise of any kind. An elderly widower meets an old widow and their feelings are described in a sing-song way. The tramp entertains people by making a show of drowning for three roubles. The father of the 19-year-old Chekov takes his son to a brothel to expose him to the mysteries of love.” To Vikram, The Good Doctor is special as it is a play “about a Russian, written by an American, performed by Indians, in a French Institute”.
Vikram Hemanathan, who has been acting for 17 years, started Barking Dog Productions in 2011. It is the theatre arm of Boulevard View, which is dedicated to other arts. The first play they staged was another Neil Simon play California Suite , which received a favourable response.
The Good Doctor will be staged on July 7 and 8, at 3.30 p.m. and 7 p.m. (two shows each day) at Alliance de Française, Thimmaiah Road, Vasanthnagar.
Tickets are priced at Rs. 300, donor passes are available at Rs. 500, out of which Rs. 200 will fund their charity partners, CUPA and the old age home run by the Little Sisters of The Poor.
Tickets are available at www.indianstage.in. For details call 9886139098.
