The Good Doctor
A comedy with music by Neil Simon

The Good Doctor is set in Russia in the 19th century and comprises a series of short plays or sketches about Russian life at the time, linked together by narration from their author. The playlets are based on Chekhov’s well-loved short stories and the Narrator is clearly Chekhov himself, although Simon never names him as such.

The cast will comprise the Narrator (the Good Doctor), who will not only link the pieces but appear in some of them as various characters. The other characters will be played by a cast of at least four, a younger man and woman and an older man and woman. Depending on the results of the auditions, however, the cast may be larger to allow for better interpretation of certain characters.

Neil Simon considers the play a comedy, though it is not entirely in his usual style. In this production, we will concentrate on bringing out the humour, which in Chekhov often arises from the tension between the vanity of the characters and the impossible situations that the vanity creates.

One of the playlets demands that the characters (an older couple) sing a simple melody. So if you are in that age range, you may be asked to sing something of your own choice to see whether you can hold a tune. Otherwise, no preparation is required for the auditions: you will simply be asked to read from the script, either alone or with one or more others.

Auditions are at Østerbro International School, Præstøgade 17, Østerbro on Wednesday 11 January at 19:00 (7 p.m.) and Saturday 14 January at 10:00.

The production is scheduled to run for 10 performances between 18 and 28 April at Krudttønden Theatre.

 

This is what the Samuel French catalogue says about the play.

In one sketch a harridan storms a bank and upbraids the manager for his gout and lack of money. In another, a father takes his son to a house where he will be initiated into the mysteries of sex, only to relent at the last moment and leave the boy more perplexed than ever. In another sketch, a crafty seducer goes to work on a married woman, only to realize that the woman has been in command from the first overture. Let us not forget the classic tale of a man who offers to drown himself for three roubles. The stories are droll, the portraits affectionate, the humour infectious and the fun unending.

“A great deal of warmth and humor in his retelling of these Chekhovian tales.” – Newhouse Newspapers

“There is much fun here. Mr. Simon’s comic fancy is admirable.” – The New York Times