25, 26 & 27/01/2013 Theatre: LAUGHTER IS THE BEST MEDICINE

04 Jan, 2013

By Franko Figueiredo

A successful season of short farces by Anton Chekhov is coming to the ETC Theatre in January 2013 under the title of PUT THAT IN YOUR PIPE AND SMOKE IT.
Brazilian Actor Márcio Mello has teamed up with Lisa Stuart, for their debut project as Latissimus Productions with “Put That in Your Pipe and Smoke it”.

The season of farces include The Dangers of Tobacco & The Bear, a monologue in which the hen-pecked Nyukhin (Marcio Mello) is forced to deliver a lecture on the dangers of smoking by his domineering wife. But Instead, Nyukhin digresses to bemoan his lot and complain about his “petty, evil miser” of a wife. Chekhov paints a heart-wrenching portrayal of a man compelled by his cruel and bullying wife to give a lecture on a subject he knows nothing about. The only thing he can do in this short, quarter-hour monologue is to expound upon his life, his shattered dreams and his yearning for a moment’s peace. It starts out quite funny, but by the end it makes you think more about your choices.
Another of the plays, The Bear, sees Marcio Mello and Janaina Tupan playing 19th-century Russians arguing over an unpaid debt for a very taut and funny 20 minutes or so. The text provides both Marcio Mello and Lisa Stuart the opportunity for explosively energetic performances not to be missed.
Marcio Mello reflects: “This was a passion project which I always wanted to make happen, which was why we did it. I wanted to have fun and make the audience have a good laugh. Chekhov’s short comedy plays are a 100 years old but read as if they were written for today. It is quite contemporary.” It promises to be both thought provoking and laugh-out loud comedy, so don’t miss it!!

PUT THAT IN YOU PIPE AND SMOKE IT will for 3 nights: 25,26 & 27 at the ETC Theatre in Camden Town.
(@ 7:30pm – 265, Camden High Street, NW1 7BU) +INFO: 020 7482 4857 / 078 9519 7441
Tickets: £ 8.50