by David Slifer

Between the days of March 20 and March 22, the theatre department put on their production of The Good Doctor in the Parlor Theatre located in Main Building. This comedy follows the narrator, Anton Chekhov, who tells us moments in the stories that he has written. The stories performed were written by Chekhov, but this show was made and adapted by Neil Simon and was d by Jo Hall and Kirra Hough. The cast consisted of Magnus Conway, John Dibbins, Jacklyn Glass, Eli Brown, Lexi Chester, Karin Powell, Robin Wilson, Cameron Mackey, Cameron Nelson, Skylar Martinez-Guzman, Brook Dunlap and Yahir Betancourt. 

With the way this show is set up, many of the actors are required to play more than one person. The format of the show involves a different piece of Chekhov’s work for each scene. With that format, the need for set changes happened for most if not every scene performed. Whether it was a complete change in layout or just a chair needing to be placed somewhere different, the cast and crew did a magnificent job at making sure these changes were made efficiently and on time so that the next story could proceed. 

The show was opened with the Narrator talking about his passion for writing and the importance he hopes to have in the world after he passes. Although wanting to give the audience a positive message, he ends up creating a new story idea called The Sneeze. A story about Cherdyakov played by Dibbins going to the theatre with his wife played by Glass. Also attending the show is Cherdyakov’s  superior, Brassilhov played by Brown and his wife played by Chester. The story follows Cherdyakov after he sneezes on his superior and the anxiety that weighs on him throughout the run of the scene because of it. He goes on tangents as well to express how he feels as if Brassilhov has played a trick on him, later saying “I must go back and tell him what I think of him. The lower classes must speak up… The work must be made safe so that men of all nations and creeds, regardless of color or religion, will be free to sneeze on their superiors!” This was a wonderful way to start the show as it gave the audience a good idea of what they were about to watch. 

A scene that stuck out to many was The Surgery. Dibbins played Kuryatin the doctor to be, while Mackey was the Sexton in need of a tooth extraction. Both actors worked well together as they both needed to work together when it came to the blocking of the scene. Not only is Kuryatin not a doctor, but he is very inexperienced in the field. The Sexton being nervous throughout this process tries everything he can to avoid getting the extraction, but in his failing to do so leads to a very funny sequence where Kuryatin tries pulling the tooth out of the Sexton’s mouth, leading to the Sexton being pulled out of the chair and the Doctor to be tries to extract the tooth. 

In The Seduction Brown played the charming scoundrel Peter Semyonych, the seducer of other men’s wives. The scene also consisted of Martinez-Guzman as the wife Irena, and Nelson as Nikolaich, the husband. A good majority of Peter’s interaction is with the audience. Brown does an exceptional job playing this character who is morally not a great person. He does this when he switches his persona around Nikolaich and when talking to the audience. The dialogue with Nelson is well performed by both actors as Peter succeeds in manipulating the husband to manipulate his wife. Martinez-Guzman does a phenomenal job in this scene as she shows the emotions and thought process her character has throughout the scene. At the end of the scene, she gives a monologue expressing her feelings about the matter at hand, but also the importance that she has for herself and her relationship with her husband. She performed it excellently as she left the audience in silence, immediately changing the mood of the show from a comedy to a serious moment as she interrupted Peter. Not only does she express her she has felt about the situation, but also catching on to Peter’s tricks telling him “You’ve used my husband as a clever and devious device to arouse my passions… Which I freely admit have been lying dormant these past 7 years.” Although being just a part of the monologue we can see how Martinez-Guzman caught on to the tricks at hand. Not only was this a phenomenal end to the scene, but also Act 1. 

The scene that brings us back after intermission was The Drowned Man. Wilson plays the drowned man; Conway continues as the Narrator and Betancourt plays the police officer. Although an unusual concept, these actors do a fantastic job at acting out the scene. Wilson is putting on an advertisement to get the Narrator to watch the man drown. Although weird. Each actor does an excellent job at escalating the scene. At different points in this story, the situation escalates with little moments that make the drowning more serious than it is while keeping the moments comedic. 

A scene that did not require much involvement of sets or props was The Audition. Powell played Nina; a young woman whose dream is to become an actor. Conway is also playing Chekhov offstage. Although they do not share the stage together, they work well delivering their dialogue to one another and moving the story along. Powell portrays eagerness, nervousness and excitement character’s audition. With the way this scene was set up, both actors did great working with it. 

The Defenseless Creature follows a woman played by Dunlap who is seeking the last amount of money that was cut from her husband’s last check. The scene also consists of Mackey as the bank manager and Nelson as a bank worker. Mackey and Dunlap work so well together with every interaction that their characters are in. Before this they were the two actors that consisted in The Quiet War. Both were very funny in both scenes. Dunlap perfectly plays her character in this scene. Everyone was laughing anytime her character reacted to the bank manager. Her energy was amazingly performed along with the switch in tone and emotion that her character required. Mackey perfected his role not only verbally, but physically. His character required the need of a crutch, and he did well at making sure that aspect of the character was not overlooked. And as the scene progresses, the frustration builds in Mackey’s character. It was hilarious to see that process run its course. 

With the final scene of the show showing us how the Narrator wants us to see his father, it is the Narrator’s closing monologue that makes it a nice close to the show. All the characters come out as he performs his final message. The ending was nice and peaceful though it was comedy. The audience well received this show. Each performance had an amazing turn out and you heard laughter from every corner of the theatre. Both the cast and crew put a lot of work into this show, and it was all well put together to make this show happen. 

With the show season ending soon, we can look back at all the shows that were done this school year and the range of emotion and genres that this department got to explore. With comedies such as Around the World in 80 Days and The Good Doctor and more serious and heartfelt stories such as Spoonful of Sherman and Dani Girl, we see a range in every student who is either acting on stage or working backstage. Whether it be costumes, set, lighting, sound, acting, dancing, or singing we see a growth in skill that each student has wanted to build off. This is what Avery White, the Lighting Designer for The Good Doctor had to say involving the growth that the theatre students have gained, “From what I have seen. I have seen people grow more comfortable in their abilities and solidify their decision in this major and that they want to continue this after college. In the actors, I have seen them step out and take more risks and learn how to put in the work instead of just doing all the work at rehearsal. In the technicians I have seen them learn what their strengths and weaknesses are and develop their specialties.” The final show of the school year will be Tonin’ 4: Giving. This is the fourth installment of the Tonin’ series that was created and written by Perry Morgan Hall and Ashley Hyers. The music for the show will be performed live by Robert Brewer and his band, Dr. Brewer and the Disappointments. And lastly as said by the Narrator “I hope you inherit 5 million rubles!”