A CHARMING and hilarious collection of short comic plays by Anton Chekhov will entertain an audience at Dorchester Arts this week.

Chekhov’s Shorts, a hugely entertaining collection of classic one-act farces by Anton Chekhov, will be at the Corn Exchange in Dorchester on Friday.

The single acts will include The Evils of Tobacco, The Dimwit, The Bear, Swan Song and The Proposal.

This is a highly entertaining introduction to one of the world’s great writers. Chekhov is the second most performed playwright in the world after Shakespeare and is best known for plays such as The Seagull, The Cherry Orchard, The Three Sisters and Uncle Vanya, as well as his short stories.

The show features former RSC actor Rupert Mason (A Touch of Frost, Eastenders), actor-comedian Will Hartley (Otherworld, The One Griff Rhys Jones) and exciting newcomer Eva Savage.

These short plays were originally written for Russian vaudeville theatres and are hugely entertaining.

Director John O’Connor said: "They represent an important moment in the development of Chekhov as a writer.

"They combine all the tragic-comic beauty of the longer plays with the silliness of a sketch show. This is Chekhov at his comic best, before Uncle Vanya started shooting, The Seagull got stuffed, The Three Sisters started moaning and The Cherry Orchard was ‘car-parked’."

European Arts Company last graced Dorchester Arts’ stage with The Trials of Oscar Wilde and The Picture of Dorian Gray, both hugely successful shows that eventually transferred to the West End.

Contact Dorchester Arts for tickets.

CONTACT ME:

t: 01305 830973

e: joanna.davis

@dorsetecho.co.uk

twitter: @DorsetEchoJo