- Simon meets Chekhov in EIU's 'Good Doctor' CHARLESTON - Neil Simon, reservations can be made by phon­ of Second A venue and The Last of king of laughmakers among ing 581-3110 during ticket office the Red Hot Lovers. American playwrights in this half hours. Tickets are $4 for adults $3 And, in fact, in The Good Doctor of our century, stops his clowning for senior citizens and children, which is a series of loosely thread­ in the 13th play of his phenomenal and $2 for EIU students. Perfor­ ed together sketches derived from series of hits that is coming to the mances are at 8 p.m. February stories by Anton Chekhov, there University Theatre today. 20,21,23 and 24 and at 2 p.m. Sun­ are scenes of slapstick low-comedy It is called The Good Doctor and day, Feb 22 in the theatre of the such as the efforts of an awkward it is being presented for five per­ Doudna Fine Arts Center. · apprentice dentist to extract a gro­ formances through Tuesday even­ Simon has still not managed to tesquely suffering man's tooth, ing. bring off his phenomenal laugh­ and a bank officer having his ban­ Tickets for The Good Doctor are free show. Producing funny lines daged foot continually grasped by on sale now at the Fine Arts Ticket and situtations is a kind of incur­ a shrill, nagging woman customer. Office. The ticket office is open able disease with this playwright, But for the first time in a Neil daily, Monday through Friday be­ as theatregoers will remember Simon play there are poignant tween 1 and 5 p.m. Tickets may be· from such hits of his as The Odd scenes as well. In one, for in­ purchased at the ticket office or Couple, Plaza Suite. The Prisoner stance, the loneliness and isolation of the elderly is dramatized as a Gerry Lunsford in 'Doctor' lady in her sunset years sits next to a similarly aged gentleman on a Simon dealing in a variety of ARROW TRAVEL park bench and in a song wonders heartaches, but also the great whether he will ask her to tea. Russian playwright Anton In another a timorous governess Chekhov. The play is based on nine 348-0747 is bullied by her haughty employer of Chekhov's early short stories into accepting so many petty, un­ dating from the late 1800s, which fair deductions from her salary Simon reworked into a· series of 7 that the tearful girl can hardly comic tragic sketches for the EUROPE"· hope for a fraction of it. stage. WITH YOUR LOCAL TOUR GUIDE The new dimension did not go Gerry Lunsford ties them unnoticed by critics. Emory Lewis, together, acting as a hQst, nar­ OUR GROUP LEAVES MAY 29 FOR 10 DAYS reviewing the Play's New York rator, and participant. He is called opening for The Record, hailed "The Writer." '1,390.00 from Chicago, all inclusive Simon as "a comic turned artist,' The cast also includes Bill Price, ~rice Guarant,ed with deposit of '790 by Feb. 28 and said "Gone is the man who Alison Eudeikis, Robert Poe, Chris adroitly strings together a series of Clevidence, B.J. Livingston, Troy Mon.-Fri. 9-5 West Pork Plaza Sot. 10-1 jokes. Behold the artist who probes Mayfield, Gaye Harrison, Chuck deeper." Phillippe, and Jill Taylor. Theatre Simon may have been working in Arts Instructor Nancy Paule is this direction for some time. In his directing this unique collaboration review of The Gingerbread Lady in between a " new" Simon and an old .ALL NIGHT 1970, N.Y. Times critic Clive Chekhov. Barnes wrote, " It is not the kind of The setting has been designed by play where you laugh till it hurts - Thomas Rhett Kee to suggest the merely it hurts when you laugh." Russian locale, as were the The cast of Neil Simon's 'The Good Doctor' in rehearsal SPECIAL But this time, it is not only costumes by Jack A. Smith.