21:30, Tue 22nd – Sat 26th January 2008 at Corpus Playroom
Lent Week 1

Two of Chekhov's short farces. Perfect fare for a cold January evening.

"The Bear": Mrs. Popova has been in mourning for the last 12 months, ever since her husband died. The fact that he cheated on her is, perversely, a source of motivation for this. When she is rudely interrupted by Sminov, a bankrupt landowner who is calling in his debts, the tensions rise between these two uncompromising characters until breaking point.

"The Night before the Trial": Zaytsev arrives at an inn on a freezing night. He is due in court the next day, where he is to be put on trial for bigamy, fraud, and the attempted murder of a sporting goods manufacturer. If found guilty, he'll kill himself right there in the dock. Such thoughts of suicide evaporate when he catches sight of the lodger in the next room, but what can he do, with her husband also present?