Review: “Lady With a Lapdog, With Jokes and a Happy Ending!”

The Russian Arts Theater and Studio introduce the lesser-known side of Chekhov in an evening of short stories.  

Anton Chekhov, famous mostly for his plays, was also an avid writer of short stories. With Lady With a Lapdog, With Jokes and a Happy Ending, The Russian Arts Theater and Studio gives New York audiences a wonderful chance to get acquainted with the funny and loving side of this chronicler of Russian temperaments. The piece, based on eleven stories and anecdotes by Chekhov, is adapted and directed by Aleksey Burago. Eight actors impersonate an ever-swirling carousel of colorful 19th century characters, making for an evening of amusing sketches.   

Roman Freud and Lana Stimmler in Lady With a Lapdog. Photo by Jared Biunno.

The core story, "Lady With a Lapdog," is not a comedic one however. It starts as a summer fling between Gurov (Tom Schubert) and Anna (Di Zhu), both taking time off from their spouses at the Crimean resort town of Yalta. When back in Moscow, Gurov finds that he can’t stop thinking about his little affair despite his active social life. What was planned as another quick romance becomes an obsession, causing him to seek another meeting with Anna. The chemistry between the two lovers is magical—perhaps starring as the title characters in a summer production of Master and Margarita together helped.

As the season changes and the action moves from a sunny pier in Yalta to the snowy streets of Moscow, the interwoven comedic short stories also change settings. The suspenseful "Fish" has a sudden homoerotic charge as a group of half-naked men enthusiastically pull something unseen from under the dock. Another fishing scene, "Daughter of Albion," receives a questionable adaptation commenting on issues of immigration. The farce "Surgery" gets a little out of hand when a priest’s visit to the veterinarian/dentist practically turns into rape.

The winter stories, "Over-Spiced" and "A Little Joke," are delightful and touching, especially the latter. The naïve and romantic beauty of "A Little Joke" stands out against the crude humor of the village scenes and has a breath of “longing for something different,” meaningful and true. "A Chorus Girl" looks at marital infidelity from a comedic angle, cleverly providing a counterweight to "Lady With a Lapdog." The mirroring plot helps to differentiate between lust and true love, which is precisely the trajectory that Anna and Ganin’s relationship takes. 

The secret lovers reunite at the theater, joined by the characters of two stories, "Death of a Government Clerk" and "Confessions," that are unfolding in parallel. It becomes evident in "Death of a Government Clerk" that the most pressing social issues are often at the heart of Chekhov’s jokes. In this little tale, a low rank government clerk (Michael Dona) sneezes on a general (Roman Freud) by accident and becomes so worried about assaulting an authority figure that begging for forgiveness becomes his solemn life goal. This tragedy of a “small man” has an almost Kafkaesque anxiety, but with a bitter fatalist sense of humor. Freud and Dona also play central characters in "Daughter of Albion" and "Surgery" and are certainly a memorable duo worthy of their own sketch show. But the exuberant, over-the-top style of their performances gets a little redundant over time.               

The “bacchanalian carnival” of village life comes off as somewhat startling, especially considering the homophobic and nationalistic tension in modern day Russia. Chekhov’s short stories, which seemed funny and naïve when I read them as a child, appear in a new light after Burago's risky staging, with the help of the beautifully nuanced performances of the entire cast. Under the veil of sheer entertainment lies a heavy question: What are we laughing at as a nation?     

As Chekhov put it, paraphrasing Shakespeare, “Brevity is the sister of talent.” Lady With a Lapdog, With Jokes and a Happy Ending might certainly benefit from the advice of its source—even at only 90 minutes, some trimming around the edges would only make the point clearer. But even in the current production, Chekhov’s wit is handled with care and great skill. This is something not to be missed!

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Lady With a Lapdog, With Jokes and a Happy Ending plays at Theater for the New City, 155 First Avenue, through March 10, 2018. The running time is 90 minutes with no intermission. Performances are Tuesdays through Fridays at 8; Saturdays at 2 and 8; and Sundays at 3. Tickets are $35 and are available at russiantheater.org. 

Lady With a Lapdog, With Jokes and a Happy Ending is based stories by Anton Chekhov. Adapted and Directed by Aleksey Burago. Set Design by Olia Rogova. Lighting Design by Conor Mulligan. Costume Design by Di Zhu and Aleksey Burago.

The cast is Michael Dona, Roman Freud, Conor Andrew Hall, Ariel Polanco, Luisa Menzen, Tom Schubert, Lana Stimmler, and Di Zhu.

Review: “Pete Rex”

This Jurassic-Park-themed rollercoaster glides up and down emotional slopes, leaving you guessing at every new genre turn.                   

Pete (Greg Carere) is going through a breakup with Julie (Rosie Sowa) with the help of his best friend Bo (Simon Winheld) and the football videogame, Madden. It seems like Madden was always there for him, comforting and taking his thoughts away, even when the relationship with his girlfriend was viable. Tired of Pete’s immaturity and life in New Kensington, Julie is set to flee to New York. A sudden invasion of dinosaurs in their small town jeopardizes her plans and she finds herself trapped in the man-cave of her ex, along with a mutual friend, Bo.  

Rosie Sowain and Greg Carere in Pete Rex. Photo by Hugh Mackey

The situation outside escalates, the glimpses of which are brought to us by the fine sound design by Megan Culley. The apocalyptic storm blends with dinosaurs’ roars; the bits of the TV news cast only confirm their worst fears. Inventive lighting by Remy M. Leelike supports the cinematic Creature Features atmosphere. And when you think it couldn’t get any worse, the inner dragons start to come out, making Pete Rex a whole other animal.  

I personally found it hard to sympathize with Pete, whose videogame addiction seemed more like a syndrome of a lazy mind than depression. The abundant Madden ’07 references and metaphors didn’t hit home either. But, thankfully, Alexander V. Thompson chose to dress up Pete’s inner conflict in something truly spectacular, namely a very polite and extravagant looking Tyrannosaurus named Nero (Simon Winheld’s much more successful part). Caitlin Cisek created a funky costume, which plays perfectly on the show’s two dominant emotional waves: hilarity and horror.   

The seamless transition between different genres is Pete Rex’s greatest asset and a rewarding source of surprises. You literally have no idea what is going to happen next! The otherwise uneventful breakup between two unremarkable 30-something-year-olds suddenly becomes a nerve-wracking thriller/apocalyptic action/psychological drama. Sowa was very responsive to the emotional turns of the play, Winheld shined anew as Nero. Carere, on the other hand, remained rather uninspiring and careful on one of the previews that I attended.

The overgrown teenager’s room designed by Caitlin Cisek featured an outline of a cave entrance/chaps opening, on the back wall, smartly hinting on the duality of the setting. Projections of the silhouette stop-motion cartoons punctuate Pete Rex and are reminiscent of ancient cave drawings. The chamber theater B at 59E59 Theaters creates an impression of full immersion. When the giant dinosaur is pounding on the roof and the lamp is rocking on the celling, I could almost feel the ground shaking. Playing with the scale is definitive of Pete Rex, and giving the audience a chance to experience something bigger than the theater itself is a good find.          

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Pete Rex plays at 59E59 Theaters, 59 East 59th street, through March 3rd, 2018. The running time is 1 hour 15 minutes with one intermission. Performances are Tuesday through Saturdays at 7:30, Sunday at 2:30. Tickets are $25, and are available by calling (212) 279-4200 or at 59e59.org.

Pete Rex  is by Alexander V. Thompson. Directed by Brad Raimondo. It is produced by The Dreamscape Theatre. Set and Costume Design are by Caitlin Cisek. Lighting Design is by Remy M. Leelike. Sound Design is by Megan Culley. The Production Stage Manager is Patrick Harnett-Marshall.

The cast is Greg Carere, Rosie Sowa, and Simon Winheld.

Review: “Koalas Are Dicks”

A raunchy dark comedy starring a misunderstood marsupial, this is a merciless satire on the entertainment industry.  

According to Koalas Are Dicks by Larry Phillips, everybody in Hollywood is an animal driven by instincts to mate, indulge in vice and make shit load of money. Not unlike the Netflix BoJack Horseman, this dark comedy stars a depressed animal that has had enough but finds it difficult to break away. A beloved sitcom star, koala Brody (Peter Buck Dettmann) goes down the spiral of substance abuse and meaningless sex with humans to escape the TV world, where he is treated like a prop and not as a creative individual.   

The cast of Koalas are Dicks. Photo by Zoe Lintzeris

Brody flees his widely popular show just 12 episodes before it goes to syndication and locks himself in a shady motel just outside of LAX. A run down room, designed by Meg McGuigan, is abundantly littered with bottles, bags of cocaine and piles of clothes. And even though we don’t see the puddles of booze and bodily fluids on the floor to which everybody refers, we can easily imagine those.

Brody’s manager, Ross (Patrick T. Horn), rushes to the rescue of the spoiled TV star and his own career. Alongside his client, Ross finds his one-man entourage, an ex- child star Davey (Larry Phillips) and incapable koala wrangler Hannah (Tiffany Mae McRae), both giving up trying to control the animal gone wild. Soon enough, Brody’s co-star, a name-dropping British actress, Allison (Phoebe Leonard) shows up uninvited, followed by the hooker Shea (Griffin Hennelly), much anticipated but not of the desired gender.   

With the human zoo in full attendance, they each try to manipulate the marsupial to serve their own goals. Nobody on stage can understand what Brody is saying yet they manage to maintain a meaningful dialogue with him. A lot of jokes revolve around the fact that humans misinterpret the koala’s body language and continue to pursue their own agenda while pretending to be attentive to his “opinions”. But what is the point in listening until the end of the sentence if you don’t speak “Koala”? Most of the characters are too self-indulged to even pretend they care, so that seems a little wobbly in the otherwise solid and well-structured play. But I guess in a world where koalas shoot up and can impregnate humans, they can’t be discarded that easily, especially if they are filthy rich.     

The raunchy humor of Phillips’ writing is matched by the dynamic direction of Ben Liebert, giving a fine cast many opportunities to become physical. Koalas Are Dicks is a delight for those who are into rough adult humor with a hint of the absurd, especially if they despise show business. The unexpected ending is truly rewarding and brings the one-note sitcom tone of the play to a new dramatic level.

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Koalas Are Dicks plays at Theatre 80 St. Marks, 80 St Marks Pl, through February 24th, 2018. The running time is 90 minutes with no intermission. Performances are Wednesdays through Saturdays at 7. Tickets are $32, and are available at randomlyspecifictheatre.com.

Koalas Are Dicks  is by Larry Phillips. Directed by Ben Liebert. It is produced by Randomly Specific Theater. Scenic Design is by Meg McGuigan. Lighting Design is by Erik Fox.

The cast is Griffin Hennelly, Patrick T. Horn, Peter Buck Dettmann, Tiffany Mae McRae, Larry Phillips and Phoebe Leonard.