The plays of the English playwright Ray Cooney have long become classics of the comedy genre. For many years they have been included in the repertoire of various theaters and assemble full halls. The performance "Clinical case", according to theatrical reviews, is just such a statement.
A bit of history
Comedy is, first of all, laughter. What is most people laughing at? Above oneself. More precisely, over weaknesses, strangenesses and human fears. The history of the comedy genre is rooted in hoary antiquity. The first comedies were created in ancient Greece. The layman calls all funny works in one word - comedy. Although this genre has many forms: farce, vaudeville, sideshow, parody, sketch, operetta. There are also sitcoms and comedies of manners. The most popular in literature, cinema and on the stage is the sitcom. From the classics, one can recall Gogol's The Examiner, Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, or Moliere's The Tradesman in the Nobility. In modern theaters, comedies of Ken Ludwig, Georges Feydo, Neil Simon have always been popular .
The directors' long-standing love is the English playwright Ray Cooney, whose comedy "Too Married Taxi Driver" was included in the 100 best dramatic works of England of the twentieth century. Ray Cooney broke a peculiar record: over one hundred million tickets have already been sold to performances based on his plays.
Comedy Author
English playwright Ray Cooney is a legendary and famous person far beyond the borders of Great Britain. The first time Ray went on stage as an actor back in 1946. As a writer, he became famous somewhere in the middle of the last century. In 1983, Cooney created his own Comedy Theater, on the stage of which he immediately staged his famous play "Too Married Taxi Driver", which lasted for nine years in the repertoire. As a playwright, Cooney is very successful.
His more than twenty comedies are translated into forty languages and are included in the repertoires of the best world stage venues. Ray Cooney is a master of sitcom. Favorite topics for jokes by an English playwright: politics, weather, and the royal family. There are no random characters or phrases in Cooney's plays. All the characters and dialogues are spelled out precisely and to the smallest detail. The plays are distinguished by a famously swirling dynamic plot, unexpected twists and a completely unpredictable ending. Such is the well-known play by Ray Cooney “Clinical case”.
Summary of the play
The play Clinical Case (the second title is Purely Family Affair) was written by Cooney in 1987. Like all the works of the legendary playwright, the “Clinical Case” has a happy fate. The play adorns the repertoires of many famous theaters.
The action takes place in a medical facility in England on the eve of the New Year. The main characters are two bosom buddies Hubert and David, the doctors of this clinic. Friends received important tasks from the management: Hubert should play the main role at the corporate New Year's Eve, and David should open the International Conference of Doctors. Suddenly, a friend of his youth comes to David who announces that he has an eighteen-year-old son who is eager to communicate with his father. David is married to the daughter of the chairman of the scientific council of the hospital and his plans do not include a scandal with an illegitimate son. Around this plot, a steep farce begins to unfold with absurd situations, characteristic heroes and black humor. Of course, it all ends well. In comedy, it cannot be otherwise.
"Clinical case" directed by Roman Samgin
Roman Savelievich Samgin is a famous and talented director of theater and cinema. Critics note that he is especially successful at the enthralling performances. In the entreprise, Samgin staged the play “Clinical Case”, which was presented to the public by the Art Partner 21 theater agency in 2008.
Since then, a vivid performance regularly gathers halls. Every season in the capital, the performance "Clinical case" is presented. The Taganka actors' community on the stage of the theater under the direction of Nikolai Gubenko. Roman Samghin presented to the public a real solid comedy, easy and fun. The masquerade performance organically conveys the New Year’s atmosphere and bustle. According to the opinion of the audience, it’s good to go to the performance “Clinical case” during the New Year holidays in order to fill with the corresponding mood. In January 2017, the performance in the golden composition was played one hundred and fifty times. The production of Roman Samgin turned out to be lively, bright and cheerful. If you give a brief description of the play "Clinical case", it will turn out: funny and dynamic.
A huge contribution to the success of the performance, including commercial, was made by the actors. Famous and very beloved artists play in the play. It should be noted that the actors of the play “Clinical Case”, in the best traditions of the Russian theater, managed to convey in the light English comedy deeper and more serious feelings hidden behind comic masks. This is the bitterness of losing a friend, and the need for true love, and disappointment in the false value of wealth and prestige. It’s not for nothing that Ray Cooney’s comedies are called “laughter through tears”. Actors in the production of Samghin managed to convey this.
Actors and roles
In the performance “Clinical case”, according to the audience, the main performers: Igor Livanov, Roman Madyanov and Elena Biryukova are especially vivid and talented.
The beloved Igor Livanov perfectly plays the role of Dr. David Mortimer, who fell into an awkward situation and is trying to find a way out of it. As it should be in a sitcom, the hero chooses ridiculous and absurd ways of salvation. Igor Livanov trowels transforms into a career doctor, then into a holy father, or into a patient. He even manages to be a woman in the guise of a castellante and confidently walks around the stage in high heels. Livanov brilliantly plays his hero, who is torn by doubts, fears and a desire to hide from trouble, to save his reputation.
The hero of Roman Madyanov is very charming and good-natured. Hubert Bonnie takes on the salvation of a friend from an unpleasant situation and himself is because of this in comic and absurd situations. The duet of Igor Livanov and Roman Madyanov is very organic, harmonious and is the center of the play.
Nurse Jane, who brought confusion into the measured life of Dr. Mortimer, is played by the famous actress Elena Biryukova. Elena is a popular comedian known to the general public on the television series Sasha + Masha. All photos and names of actors of the Clinical Case play can be found on the numerous posters of the Art Partner 21 theater agency.
Performance reviews
Theater critics did not pay much attention to the performance. But the audience actively express their emotions in the reviews of the performance "Clinical case" in Moscow. Studying the responses, we can conditionally divide them into only positive and only negative ones. As a rule, the play of Ray Cooney causes a negative reaction. English humor is not clear, the viewer is not funny. Therefore, the action seems protracted, the plot is stupid, the actors do not like the game. If the jokes are close and understandable to the viewer, then in the reviews, as a rule, an excellent play of the actors is noted. Spectators notice that the actors themselves enjoy the game, and their mood is transmitted to the public. The performance is called a "fairy tale for adults", funny, witty and kind. Of the funny reviews, one can note the accusation of promoting homosexuality due to the dressing of actors in a women's dress.
"Clinical case" in Nizhny Novgorod
The performance directed by Roman Samghin was shown to the audience on the stage of the Nizhny Novgorod State Academic Drama Theater named after M. Gorky. Artists know that each city has its own audience, and the same performance in different cities is accepted differently. What are your impressions of the performance "Clinical case" reviews in Nizhny Novgorod?
Predictably like Igor Livanov, especially his comic female character with braids and men's socks in stilettos. The audience notes the light atmosphere of the comedy and advises not to expect something deep and supernatural from the production. Many Nizhny Novgorod people go precisely to Igor Livanov. And the expectations of the audience are always met. People leave the theater with a good mood and a sense of satisfaction. It should be noted that the audience felt tears through laughter and note that there were sad moments in the play and a philosophical ending not quite usual for light comedy.
"Clinical case" in Ryazan
The play “Clinical Case” occupies a worthy place in the repertoires of many Russian theaters. So in the Ryazan Drama Theater, director Oleg Pichurin made his statement. The leading actors of the theater are Valery Ryzhkov, Yuri Borisov, Marina Myasnikova. This is just the third directorial work of actor Oleg Pichurin. Oleg says that he really wanted to stage the play as he sees it, as an actor. Spectator reviews of the performance "Clinical case" in Ryazan confirm that the young director managed to put on a good and funny performance. It enjoys well-deserved popularity among city residents.
New Year's comedy
On New Year's Eve, people are intuitively drawn to comedy, to a light genre corresponding to the New Year mood. There are films and performances that annually gather viewers, and have long become symbols of the main winter holiday. According to spectator reviews, the performance “Clinical case” can also be confidently attributed to such symbols.