Actors of Parichay Theatre, Mumbai stage The Boor on Tuesday. Picture by Badrika Nath Das

Cuttack, Sept. 29: A translated version of Russian dramatist Anton Chekhov’s romantic comedy The Boor was staged at the Indian Theatre Olympiad on Tuesday. Parichay Theatre of Mumbai enacted the play. The English version of the original was translated by Julius West.

The Boor tells the story of a wealthy heiress Elena Ivanovna Popova, who is recently widowed. After her husband’s death, she vows not to leave her house even as her servant, Luka, tries to encourage her to do so. Popova says she must remain faithful to her husband forever as he had never been to her. By staying in the house for the rest of her life, she intends to show her dead husband what faithfulness means. Soon, a bell rings and Gregorii Stepanovich Smirnov, a landowner, enters the scene. He says Popova’s husband had owed him money and demands that she return the money. The 35-minute one act comedy flows through various comic situations amid social pleasantries and quarrels.

Shakeel Sayani, the director who also played the role of Luka, says Chekhov’s plays attracted him as the playwright’s themes had never been confined to a particular age.

“The audience can identify themselves with Chekhov’s characters. This was perhaps what mattered the most for me as a director when I had decided to stage The Boor,” Sayani told The Telegraph.

“Chekhov’s plays have the essential potency of breaking the barriers of time,” he added.

“Although The Boor is one of Chekhov’s lesser-known plays, the three-character drama is an excellent representative of its genre,” said Kartik Rath, noted dramatist and general secretary of Utkal Yuva Sanskrutik Sangh, organiser of the drama festival.

Apart from this, on Tuesday Parichay Theatre also staged First April, an English play. The play is based on the conventional April Fool scenario with the story revolving around four college friends and a virtual character portrayed as father of one of the friends.

“We have prepared four plays to stage in this festival. The other two are Hindi plays Desh Bahishkrit and Adhi Raat Keh Baad. We will stage them tomorrow,” a spokesperson from Parichay Theatre said.

The All India Multi-Lingual Drama Competition, which is a part of the Theatre Olympiad, will come to an end tomorrow. The International Theatre Festival will be held from October 1 to 5.

“This year, nine theatre groups from America, Australia, Brazil, Columbia, Netherlands, Croatia, Iran, Nepal and Bangladesh are expected to participate in it,” said Rath.