Dying For IT - Review

Dying For It is the final production for the New Theatre this year and plays until 21 December. Dying for It is written by Moira Buffini, adapted from Nikolai Erdman's The Suicide.
It is set in a gloomy boarding house in Russia, there is no electricity as the power has been cut.  It is a satirical social/ political farce.  The main character Semyon played by Johann Walraven is feeling sorry for himself. He has no job and has lost his purpose in life. The play opens in the middle of the night with the stage completely black,  an argument starts between Semyon and his wife Maria (Masha) played by Jodine Muir. The argument starts much like many between a couple late at night, one awaking the other for usually no particular reason. In this case it was over black pudding.  The argument turns to Semyon saying he has no purpose and no reason to go on and he disappears. Masha believes he has gone to commit suicide and so the farce begins. The play is full of characters who want Semyon's death to turn him from a ordinary man into somebody people will remember. He died for love, or God etc. His wife, Masha, spends play either wishing he were dead or praying that he is not!

The characters in the play are very good, Moira must have had some fun writing for them all and bringing them alive. The mother-in-law Serafima played by Jeannie Gee was my favourite, the meddling mother-in-law who doesn't quite get want is going on. Most of the humour in the play comes from her part.
There were difficulties in the play, the upstairs area of the set could have been dropped slightly so that the actors didn't have to stoop. However, as a whole the set was well constructed and worked really well.  I think that Moira could have cut all the F bombs and just had the one where Masha wants everyone to leave when she is grieving,  this then would have had more impact.
Overall it is an entertaining play which has been well orchestrated by the New Theatre.

Photographs © Bob Seary