The Good Doctor written by Neil Simon and adapted from stories by Anton Chekhov is a comical and slightly satirical play that teaches the audience little lessons about humanity and class structure. RB’s production was directed by Darel Glaser.
The play is set in 1895 in Russia. The stage’s scenery gave the audience the sense that the story was occurring in a wooded and rural part of the country. It had a large tree and a few log cabins that provided this affect. The lighting was also an integral part of the scenery. It would change from green and blue to red depending on the mood of a scene and the actions of the characters.
The Good Doctor did not have one continuous plot line, but rather was a series of short stories told from the perspective of the Writer (Junior Max Marciniak). The play begins with the Writer giving the audience some background information and then it proceeds into the first vignette. Throughout the play, the Writer often interrupts to provide some insight on class structure or humanity, or to just gently transition into the next story. There were a total of nine separate vignettes.
The music was also very good. Peter Link was the composer and Simon was the lyricist. The pieces, though few in number, reflected Russia and affected a bit of playfulness as well. There was one duet in the play called “Too Late for Happiness” and it was tastefully performed by Senior Megan Welch and Junior Kevin Smaller.
“It’s been really great. The company is really strong and they are enjoying it. The past two nights have gone very well,” said Glaser.
The other actors also did a very nice job. The cast consisted of eight people that included Juniors Lauren Hettasch, Sara Nie, Jacob Palka, and Max Steinberg and Sophomore Jaden Cruz. They continually recycled themselves to play more than one part. The structure of the play allowed each of the actors to shine, whether that be in a comical scene such as “Surgery” or in a more serious scene like “The Governess.”
There isn’t much criticism to be found for the actual production because all of the actors, the lighting and sound crews, and the stage crew did a very nice job. But, it was disappointing to not see very many people attend the performance.
Overall, The Good Doctor is a very good play and the students at RB put on a wonderful performance.
