Theatricalls Production brings Chekhov's timeless humour to life in Delhi
"The only women who are honest and faithful are the ones who are old and ugly,” declares the loathsome protagonist of Anton Chekov’s play, The Bear. The lines are addressed to another central character of the story - a weepy widow mourning her dead husband. The woman has sworn off men by locking herself up at home.
However, when a brutish creditor enters her house by force to claim the money owed to him, she is forced to be in the company of another man for the first time in months. As their interaction proceeds, they find themselves attracted to one another through a hilarious sequence of events.
The Bear is one of the two works by the Russian playwright that were recently staged in Delhi by Theatricalls Production. The second was The Seduction, another one-act play, where a sworn society bachelor pursues the wife of his friend, hoping for an extramarital fling. He enlists the help of the husband, a hapless gentleman who remains unaware of the deception afoot. As with all Chekhov stories, this one too has a well-timed twist in the plot.
“Relationships have always intrigued me, and I believe that humour is a wonderful way of navigating conflicting situations in life and love. No one does this better than Chekhov,” says Nupur Khosla, the founder of Theatricalls Production, who produced and acted in the show. Both plays were directed by Swati Sodhi, who points out that staging Chekhov’s comedies is no cake walk.
She believes one must strike a balance between humour and the complexities of human emotions since the works require an in-depth understanding of what motivates characters, so that the layered meanings of dialogues can shine through. “Additionally, ensuring that the period setting feels authentic while still being relatable, involves lots of attention to detail in terms of set design, costumes and props,” she says.
Described as a master of the short story, Chekhov stands apart from many of his contemporaries, thanks to its timeless relevance. His work, written in the late 1800s, remains contemporary because it explores universal human emotions and situations. In a letter to his brother, Aleksandr, Chekhov highlighted what he felt was most important for his writing practice: “1. Absence of lengthy verbiage of political-social-economic nature; 2. total objectivity; 3. truthful descriptions of persons and objects; 4. extreme brevity; 5. audacity and originality; flee the stereotype; 6. compassion.”
“Chekhov’s humour, wit and ability to capture the absurdities of life allow audiences to reflect on their own experiences and perhaps find elements of humour in real-life situations,” shares Reuben Israel, who played Luca the footman in The Bear, and the protagonist Peter Semyonich in The Seduction. He brings his dandy, ne’er-do-well character to life with elan, while Shorba Bhattacharya does an admirable job as the cuckolded husband married to Shraddha Talwar, his vain and pretty wife. Through witty dialogue and a tight act, the audience is kept entertained through the hour-long production. Bhattacharya says, “Conveying the subtleties of Chekhov’s language and comic timing also demands a high level of precision and collaboration among the cast and crew.”
Theatricalls Production prides itself on presenting an array of the unexpected. Its last production in June was themed around Father’s Day. The team is currently working on a couple of Neil Simon plays. Plans are ready to travel to other cities with the Chekhov comedies. As Khosla puts it, “We look forward to take the emotional load off the viewers’ daily lives and transport them into an alternate reality where they are able to relate and empathise with the characters and, maybe even, find themselves in them.” Isn’t all the world a stage?