The Good Doctor

What the press said:

Elsa Romei, another veteran still at the peak of her powers… made the scene excruciating for me and nearly led me to cry out in exasperation. —Paul Xuereb, The Sunday Times, 24-04-05

A strong cast took on a variety of roles, as each story required a new set of characters. Some actors were required to shift into very different characterisations and moved smoothly through this. —Louise Ghirlando, The Times, 23/04/05

This play was surprising. It was highly enjoyable without compromising quality, aided by the particularly strong performances of John Suda, who was also director, and Philip Stilon. —Louise Ghirlando, The Times, 23/04/05

Comic pastiche at its best. —Noemi Zarb, The Times, 27/04/05

Suda's maturity both as a man and as an actor brought the show to an excellent end. Dr Paul Xuereb, The Sunday Times, 24/04/05

It is always refreshing when a new theatre company makes an appearance. It is even more invigorating when that company sets out its stall with a quality production. Jon Rosser, Showtime, 01/05/05

At this point, as Maria Buckle staged the actress reading out her lines from Chekhov's own The Three Sisters, a stilling energy took over the St James theatre as Ms Buckle captured the mesmerising effectiveness of this audition. Louise Ghirlando, Lifestyle Section, The Times, 23/04/05

Production Details:

Author: Neil Simon

Venue: St James Cavalier

Dates: 8, 9, 10, 15, 16, 17 April 2005

Director: John Suda

Cast: John Suda, Elsa Romei, Philip Stilon, Michael Tabone, Luka Desira Buttigieg, Maria Buckle, Alexandra Camilleri Warne

Synopsis

Neil Simon's Comedy is based on the vignettes of Anton Chekhov The Good Doctor. Anton Chekhov and Neil Simon are not exactly a pairing that immediately strikes one as inspired. After all, one is a 19th Century Russian who laid bare humanity’s deepest yearnings and foibles in poignant dramatic plays, while the other is a 20th Century American who exposed the follies and neuroses of modern urban life in tightly crafted, one-liner-littered comedic plays. Joined together, they seem less natural peers in world theatre and more like the hapless heroes in a Simon masterwork: The Odd Couple. And yet, the two share a bond from when they were young writers: comedic sketches.

When he was in his 20’s, Chekhov devoted much of his literary energies to penning short humorous work, in the form of stories, sketches, and one-act farces for the stage. Simon also spent his 20s writing short comedic pieces, his in the form of television sketches for Sid Caesar’s “Your Show of Shows” and episodes for a Phil Silvers’ sitcom. Given that, it was not so odd for Simon to write The Good Doctor, a work of 11 sketches based on the early comedic work of Chekhov. The Good Doctor, served as Neil Simon’s tribute to Anton Chekhov. The play is broken up with the adaptations of the Chekhov stories, with the common thread of a character called The Writer tying everything together.

The stories are droll, the portraits affectionate, the humour infectious, and the fun unending. Simon’s efforts, first stage on Broadway in 1973, strive to be true to the spirit of the originals while flavouring them with his own trademark hilarity. Better known for his later autobiographical works, Simon’s The Good Doctor is nevertheless an important cornerstone of his career. To quote the playwright, “It was a pastiche for me, an enjoyable interlude before going on to bigger things. It was a joyous experience for me”.