Tea with Chekhov at Melbourne Fringe 2017 - Review

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Sun 01 Oct 2017

Tea with Chekhov , currently playing as part of the Melbourne Fringe Festival 2017 , is a fresh performance concept. On arrival at the venue - the Bluestone Church Arts Space, 8A Hyde Street, Footscray, audience members are offered a real cup of tea - English Breakfast or (appropriately) Russian Caravan - served in a dainty teacup. Help yourself too, to the assortment of homemade biscuits on offer - delicious!

Find yourself a seat in the rather intimate theatre and, teacup balanced on your knee, settle back and enjoy the performance.

What you will see is three short comedic plays written by Russian playwright Anton Chekhov, performed by Melbourne-based performance troupe, Key Conspirators . In other words, this is a 'straight' performance of Chekhov's plays, translated into English. A prolific writer in his relatively short life (he died at 44), Chekhov's plays generally focus on relatable themes such as love, money and marriage - which is what he felt the middle class wanted at the time he was writing (late 1800s). His plays often seem to descend into melodramatic chaos, and there is certainly no guarantee of a happy ending. They are, however, entertaining and amusing, and it was a pleasant way to spend an hour.



The first play is The Proposal (1889), in which Ivan Vassilievich (Pat Moonie) pays a formal visit to his neighbour Stepan Stepanovich (Kevin Hopkins) to ask for Stepan's consent for Ivan to propose to his daughter Nataliya Stepanova (Siobhan Connors). Naturally, nothing goes according to plan. Will the proposal actually take place? Solid performances by all three actors in this play, with a particularly impressive performance by Moonie, who has the added complexity of having a character with a heart condition.

A Jubilee (1891) (sometimes also called The Anniversary) follows. This play focuses on celebrations for the anniversary of a bank. The manager of the bank (played by Stefan Dennis) is full of self-importance, and looking forward to his staff and customers 'spontaneously' bestowing gifts upon him. Meanwhile, his hapless clerk (Hayden Burke) labours away on a report which is to be read to the gathered crowd later that afternoon. Already stressed about meeting the deadline, the clerk's temper boils over when he has to deal with multiple interruptions from the bank manager's wife (Anisha Senaratne) and an annoying woman who seems to think the bank manager can help resolve her husband's issues with his employer.



Burke does a memorable version of 'crazy' towards the end of this play, contributing to a believable level of chaos of which I feel certain Chekhov would approve.

Finally there is The Boor (1890). Grieving widow Yeliena Ivanovna (Emma Hayden) refuses to shed her mourning clothes or even to leave the house or accept visitors, the better to demonstrate her undying commitment to her deceased husband. Grigory Stepanovich Smirnov (James Harvy) has other ideas, as he pushes his way into the room to confront Yeliena. Apparently, her husband owes him money, and he needs it NOW! Patiently, Yeliena explains she can repay it the day after tomorrow. The situation deteriorates to the point where Smirnov challenges Yeliena to a duel with pistols. There's a neat twist at the end of this play, and that, along with quality acting by Hayden and Harvy in particular, make this perhaps the most impactful play of the three, and a great way to round out the performance.



Chekhov apparently once wrote: "In one-act pieces there should be only rubbish - that is their strength", (letter to A.S. Suvorin, 6th January 1889). However, these three plays are far from rubbish; more like little literary pearls and societal insights. If you fancy a cultural experience, with a cup of tea thrown in, you will enjoy Tea with Chekhov.

Tea with Chekhov plays at 3.00pm on Saturday 23rd and 30th September, and 1st October. Tickets (including afternoon tea) are $25. Click here to buy your tickets online, or call the Fringe ticketing office on (03) 9660 9600.

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!date 01/10/2017 -- 01/10/2017
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