Spectrum Centre, Inverness, 25 October 2010

ARTISTIC Director Maria Oller has broken with a general tradition at Lung Ha’s of improvisation as a route to devised work by choosing two of Chekhov’s many short stories. The process challenged the company but the result is an impressive double bill.

Cast members in Chekhov Shorts - picture by Douglas Jones

First up was Romance with a Double Bass, in which Mark Howie’s Pitsikatov the bass-player is delayed on a hot summer day by the temptation of a dip in the river, only to have his clothes stolen by Nicola Tuxworth’s Thief. Kaye Parter’s damsel in distress suffers the same fate, and Pitsikatov tries, but fails, to rescue her, in a genial slapstick style which owed much to both Laurel & Hardy and Tom & Jerry.

Stephan Tait’s narration created much of the humour and the period feel of this engaging bonne bouche of a piece.The highly effective set using back projections and the minimum of props was designed (as were the equally effective costumes) by Jessica Worrall. A special mention, also, for Wendy Weatherby’s lovely cello-playing.

The Two Volodyas opened with a tableau which could have come straight out a painting by Holman Hunt or Ford Madox Brown. The landing stage of the first story was transformed into a troika carrying young Sofya (Nicola Tuxworth) and the eponymous duo, her older, wealthier, higher status husband (Mark Howie) and her young, good-looking, student ex-lover (Stephan Tait).

Swathed in furs, swigging plum brandy, singing drinking songs dashing through the snow to the sound of sleighbells – Mother Russia was beautifully evoked, complete with an Orthodox convent where Sofya goes to unburden her sad soul to her old schoolfriend, Olga (a serene Kaye Parter).

Challenged they may have been and out of their comfort zone, but powerful performances by all four actors made this a particularly memorable and thought-provoking experience which will be driving at least one member of the audience to revisit Chekhov in this lively translation by Dr Carol Rocamora.

© Jennie Macfie, 2010

Links

• Lung Ha’s Theatre Company
• Jennie Macfie