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A government clerk accidently sneezes on the back of his boss's head and can't stop apologizing; a wild woman assails a gout-stricken bank manager; an apprentice dentist pulls his first tooth; a frightened governess endures harsh treatment by her employer; a maritime entertainer specializes in drowning for a fee; a Casanova sets his sights on a friend's wife; an eager, young actress auditions for a play; a father bargains with a lady of the night to procure her services for his naïve, young son; a widow and widower tentatively reach out to one another; and two old generals battle their way through lunch in the park. Neil Simon, the master of comedy whose plays have set box office records and kept his name on Broadway marquees for more than 50 years, adapts all these characters from the short stories of Russian writer and physician Anton Chekov and weaves them into his "comedy with music", The Good Doctor.
El Paseo Arts Foundation brings The Good Doctor to the stage of the South Padre Island Convention Center on February 10, 2012 with two performances: a matinee at 2:00 p.m. and an evening show at 7:30 p.m. A complimentary hors d'oeuvres buffet and a cash bar will open one hour before each performance.
The Good Doctor, of course is not a typical play, but a collection of ten sketches, with a "writer" who acts as narrator, sets the scenes and occasionally steps into a story. The Good Doctor is also not the typical Simon comedy full of fast-paced, witty dialogue and great gag lines. While there are some sketches that play like vaudeville routines with gag lines a plenty, others are sweet and touching portraits of ordinary people. Simon's real comic genius has always been his ability to create humor from the lives and troubles of everyday people, and many of his plays draw heavily on his own life and experiences. The ordinary folks in The Good Doctor are drawn from Anton Chekov's insightful portrayals of the comic and serious sides of the bourgeoisie in late 19th Century Russia.
The cast of local actors who bring the play to life includes Billie Reilly in the role of the writer, a persona that is a subtle blend of both Chekov and "Doc" Simon. Guy Blatnik, Brenda Bailey, Rick Alf, DeeOnda Ahadi, Walter Conrad, Kristi Smith, Darla Gilchrist, Paul Cardile, Jan Whittington, Robert Weiss and Lucinda Wieringa play the roles of the twenty-four other hilarious and endearing characters who appear in the sketches.
Tickets for the production are $20 per person and are available for purchase at the South Padre Island Visitors Center, Paragraphs Book Store, Designer Consigner and online at www.elpaseo.org.
America's master of comedy has created a funny and poignant evening of theatre. Enjoy some laughter and some wistful and heartwarming moments. It's just what the doctor ordered.