Flies In the Snuffbox Reviews

"Flies" not Life Changing but Worth Watching by Robbyn Scribner

2008-09-29T10:36:00.000-07:00

UVU'v first production of the season is a series of four short comedies by Anton Chekov, woven together and titled Flies in the Snuff Box. In their notes on the production, directors D. Terry Petrie and Isaac Walters discuss Chekov's own view of his work as "comic satire, pointing out the unhappy nature of existence in turn-of-the-century Russia." This certainly seems to be the case, but these four scenes seem to focus on relationships (dismal ones, of course), which in some cases begin strained and turn romantic, and in others begin romantic and become strained. In either case, all the relationships are fiery and explosive, although sometimes the fierce emotions remain suppressed in the minds of those feeling them. All four scenes contain elements of chaos, as these fierce emotions (fury, love, or frustration) boil over until most of the characters onstage are screaming, or fighting, or rolling around on the floor.

The first scene, “On the Harmfulness of Tobacco,” is actually a monologue broken into four parts, serving as interludes between the other three plays. Nathaniel Drew does a nice job with this as Ivan Ivanovich Niukhin, a downtrodden husband who seems trapped under the thumb of his domineering wife. Drew's physicality and comedy is generally effective (though not perfect), and the scene itself does a nice job of connecting the other three plays. This scene also introduces the title of the evening, as Niukhin reminds us what happens to a fly when placed in a snuff box (it withers and dies), giving us a glimpse into his own life, trapped and suffocating in his marriage.

The next scene, “The Bear,” is the story of a grieving widow who initially despises, then succumbs to the charms of, a man coming to collect a debt. Jeremy J. Minagro does a great job as the aggressive and arrogant suitor--his performance is confident and engaging. Penny Pendleton is less effective as the grieving widow; still, the scene as a whole is entertaining, and it was fun to watch this relationship progress.

The third scene, The Proposal, is probably the most successful of the evening as it combines the most consistent performances with a simple and amusing plot. Scott M. Stringham plays a suitor coming to propose to a young woman played by Elize Newton. Julie Suazo plays the girl's mother, who is thrilled by this prospect. The proposal is delayed, however, by ridiculous arguments between the would-be lovers over who owns certain parcels of land and whose dog is better. All three young actors were committed to the scene and deliver strong performances.

The final one-act of the evening, The Jubilee, also contained several strong performances, yet I found the scene as a whole extremely difficult to follow. My favorite actor of the night was Britni Gibbs, a ditsy, self-absorbed socialite who arrived at a bank just in time to complicate her ambitious husband's afternoon. Gibbs' character had nothing of consequence to say, but she delivered every line with delicious passion and sincerity, and was a delight to watch. The other actors in the scene also performed well, in spite of very difficult material. I am still not entirely sure what happened in this scene, which is partly a fault of the writing, but which was exacerbated by a directorial choice to overlap much of the dialogue. The technique added to the chaos of the scene (which I'm assuming was the aim), but it was overused and left me feeling that if the characters would only speak one at a time perhaps I'd be able to understand what was going on. The scene ended in overall Noises Off-type pandemonium, which seemed a bit rushed and overdone.

All in all, this evening of one acts is worth watching. The performances are generally strong and the stories entertaining and perhaps even a bit thought-provoking. In their program notes, the directors speak of Chekov's desire that people "look at [themselves] and see how dreary [their] lives are" in the hope that they will "create another and better life for themselves." Now, I wouldn't call this play "life-changing" but it did serve as an amusing reminder to enjoy life a little more and stew over it a little less.

Best Moments in "Flies" come from Enemies not Lovers by Craig Scribner

2008-09-29T10:28:00.000-07:00

The Utah Valley University theatre company's rendition of four short comedies by Anton Chekov deserves four separate reviews. Nathaniel Drew's monologue On the Harmfulness of Tobacco was graciously split into three or four pieces, so we didn't have to swallow it all at once. On the one hand, Drew gave what was perhaps the most dedicated and consistent performance of the night—but the difficulty of the text plus the weight of his accent (then throw in the warmth of the room and the hard work I did in my garden that morning) made it hard to keep up.

Anyway, I like Chekov for dialogue more than monologue, and the three other comedies offered plenty of opportunities to generate heat between the characters. The most successful such moment came, surprisingly not in The Bear or The Proposal, where romantic passion is supposed to course beneath the conversation, but between Jana Grass and Leviticus Brown in The Jubilee. Here she is, doggedly blind to the fact that she's in the wrong place, talking to the wrong people, and there he comes, knife in hand, ready to cut her throat just to get some peace and quiet back in the room. Beneath their yelling match I felt all the personal connection—hatred and desire—that was lacking in the other plays. The irony is that the other plays were so easy to follow, while The Jubilee was confusing.

If you're a fan of JJ Abram's tv series Lost, there's a hidden treat in the Jubilee for you to enjoy—and that reminds me that you can end a theatrical experience with more questions than answers, and still enjoy the show.

"Flies" a Hilarious Collection of Characters by Erin Crabtree

2008-09-29T09:59:00.000-07:00

Flies in the Snuffbox, a collection of short comedies by Anton Chekhov, showcases an array of depressed, ailing, and downright suicidal characters dueling for their dignity and their lives—and it amounts to a hilarious night of theatre.

Ivan Ivanovich Niukhin (Nathaniel Drew) served as a sort of narrator, performing bits of his monologue, On the Harmfulness of Tobacco, in between each of the other scenes. He delivered a lecture on “the harmfulness of tobacco,” which really consisted of amusingly gloomy tangents about his domineering wife and terrible luck. Drew was brilliant in this role, singing, crying, almost dancing, and occasionally mixing in his own improvisations to further interact with the audience. He truly stole the show with his hilarious performance.

In The Bear, the conceited, gruff Grigorii (Jeremy J. Minagro) comes to grieving widow Yelena (Penny Pendleton) to demand money owed by her late husband. Grigorii strongly expresses his feelings that women are the “weaker sex,” and Yelena rebuts. Eventually they challenge each other to a duel. In the argument that ensues between them, Grigorii realizes, to his dismay, that he is actually attracted to the firecracker that is Yelena. Minagro and Pendleton delivered beautiful performances, expressing well the conflict within their characters and their complex relationship with each other. Samuel Davis also gave an excellent performance as Luka, Yelena’s butler. Although a comedy, The Bear certainly had its moments of seriousness, which added to the overall quality of the play.

The Proposal told the story of Ivan Vasilievich Lomov (Scott M. Stringham), an ailing man of “critical” age who has come to the home of Natalia (Elize Newton) to ask her to be his wife. Before Natalia is aware of his intentions, an argument ensues over the field between their property, and to whom it belongs. Natalia and her mother, Stepanya (Julie Suazo), side against Ivan, who won’t back down. It is a riotous story of misunderstandings and stubborn pride. Scott Stringham shined as Ivan, believably suffering everything from tremors to heart palpitations, all while stalwartly defending his opinions. Suazo and Newton create a very humorous team, and each of them brought a unique life to their character that was quite entertaining.

In the final play, The Jubilee, Andrey Andreyevich Shipuchin (Amos Omer) is blissfully readying his bank for the celebration and relishing in his reputation, while Kuzma Nikolayevich Khirin (Leviticus Brown) is desperately trying to work despite the interruptions. The plot thickens when Shipuchin’s long-winded wife, Tatyana (Britni Gibbs) arrives, followed by Nastasya Federovna Merchutkina (Jana Grass), a very confused woman determined to claim money owed to her husband. Kuzma grows increasingly agitated, and Shipuchin tries desperately to keep everything about the bank presentable before the others arrive. It is a delightfully farcical comedy, and every member of the cast delivers a first-rate performance.

All in all, Flies in the Snuffbox proves to be a wickedly delightful night at the theatre. Full of excitement, superb acting, and the kind of sophisticated humor one rarely encounters today, the UVU Theatre Department does a fantastic job of bringing Chekhov’s works to life and making them relatable and entertaining to the audience. I would strongly recommend for anyone of any age to go see it; you will be tremendously rewarded.