Two new two-actor productions on love and loneliness open at Chekhov Theatre's Arkade stage
Mihail Chekhov Riga Russian Theatre's Arkade branch premiered two-actor plays this autumn, "Eric and Anna" and "Freelancers". The LSM Culture reviewer rates the first more highly and faults the second for weak dramaturgy.
The Arkade branch of the Mihail Chekhov Riga Russian Theatre premiered two plays for two actors back to back this autumn: "Eric and Anna" and "Freelancers". Both are based on contemporary dramaturgy, and the LSM Culture reviewer judges them differently: the first he finds successful, the second marked by clear problems with its script.
The Arkade format
Arkade opened in 2024. Its small hall, low ceilings and the audience's closeness to the stage have shaped the format of its shows: chamber-style, short, without an interval, with minimalist sets and small casts. Five such productions have been made there since last summer, the earlier ones being "The Bench", "The Tourist" and "Constellations". Unlike on the main stage, any actor at Arkade can get a leading role.
"Eric and Anna"
The production of the play by Estonian playwright Tim Jansons is directed by J. J. Dzhilindzher. The question it poses: can a man and a woman be friends? Anna (Natalia Zhivets) and Eric (Anatoly Fechin) are childhood friends, although at first viewers assume they are married or lovers. In preparing the premiere, the theatre researched such friendships. According to statistics, about 68% of today's partnerships and marriages begin with friendship, and among people under 30 the figure is 84–85%.
The action takes place in a single set, Anna's apartment. The reviewer praises the acting, the choreography of movement artist Linda Kalnina, and the irony that keeps the play from sliding into melodrama. In his view the show has a feminist slant, as Anna is portrayed with more depth than Eric.
"Freelancers"
The production draws on a play by Romanian playwright Ion Sapdaru and is directed by Edvins Klimanovs. Two unemployed actors, Elvis and a performer playing the Statue of Liberty, earn money as "living statues"; the roles are played by Ivan Streltsov and Julia Berngardt. The reviewer considers the opening scene the best and the rest contrived. He believes neither the director nor the actors overcame the script's flaws: plot turns seem banal or overly artificial, and the characters' motives are unclear.
