Once again, 356 Company (Doubt, 2009 and The Bell Tower, 2010) brings quality drama to the Gozitan stage. This time they are presenting four short comedies by Anton Chekhov. Written by Chekhov and translated by the well-known playwright, Michael Frayn, they were premiered on the English stage in a production entitled ‘The Sneeze’ at the Aldwych in London in 1989. Chekhov’s name is not normally associated in people’s minds with the comic, however, at the time these short farces were penned, he was writing as a humorous columnist for two major Russian newspapers. He called them jokes or vaudevilles and they went down a storm with Moscow and St Petersburg audiences in the late 1890s.

In ‘Drama,’ a well known playwright has to survive the onslaught of an amateur playwright and her drama in five long acts! The ‘Bear’ shows what sparks can fly when an feisty young widow meets an intransigent male. In ‘The Sneeze,’ the refined Brizzhalovs have a less then enjoyable evening at the ballet all because the seats behind them are occupied by the Chervyakovs. Watch the emotions come to a boil in ‘The Proposal,’ when the three protagonists, who all actually want the same thing, find the volatile mixture of jealousy, obstinacy and greed keeps getting in their way.

The actors will be, Sue Scantlebury, Stephanie Carobonaro, Rob Ricards and George Camilleri.

These plays will take place at The Ministry for Gozo, St Francis Square, Victoria, at 8.00pm, on Friday and Saturday, the 29th and 30th of April and on Sunday, the 1st of May.

Tickets are at a cost of 10 euros and can be purchased from the Bargate Bookshop in Victoria, or by phone on 21562498 and email markthorogood@onvol.net.

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