Chekhov Or Not

Circle Theatre, Carmel

About the Show

Playing at the Circle Theatre

Act I: Dr. Kheal by María Irene Fornés
Act II: Swan Song by Anton Chekhov

Featuring Paul Barber and Howard Burnham
Directed by John Newkirk

A remarkable mash-up of two, back-to-back, one-act plays! The first, Dr. Kheal, written by Cuban-born María Irene Fornés, is a 1960s absurdist comedy – a farcical mix of hilarity and deep thought. Then, in the second act of the evening, Swan Song delivers a surprising and delightful contrast. Penned by the great realist author, Anton Chekhov, this play reveals the true lives hidden beneath his characters’ outward poses.

Dr. Kheal directly addresses his audience in an outlandish discourse, giving his wide range of views which may or may not all be in his head. Traversing multiple themes and subjects, the professor covers such topics as poetry, balance, truth, ambition, energy – and of course – love.

Swan Song, Anton Chekhov’s first play, is a sublime work about an over-the-hill actor who’s given his final, bravura performance. The ancient performer parties way too much in his dressing room afterwards, only to fall asleep once the stagehands have gone for the night. Forgotten by everyone, he wakes to find he’s been locked inside the giant playhouse – he thinks – all alone.

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