A widow, a servant and a squatter: Chekhov's The Bear is at Schwartz

From left, Kristin Frazier as Yelena, Matt Volner as Luka and Michael Ladd as Grigory in Anton Chekhov's The Bear, playing this weekend at the Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts. Courtesy of the Department of Theatre, Film and Dance

Cornell's Department of Theatre, Film and Dance will present Anton Chekhov's classic comedy The Bear, directed by Lance Hall '06, this Friday, Oct. 1, through Sunday, Oct. 3.

This one-act play captures the madness of human nature as well as the emotional gymnastics of romantic relationships. Yelena, a recent widow, refuses to leave her house after the death of her husband. Although she acknowledges his chronic infidelity, Yelena vows to remain faithful to her late husband until the day she dies -- just to prove to him that at least she took her marriage vows seriously. Luka, her elderly servant, encourages his mistress to remarry but without success. Soon we meet Grigory, an unappealing, loud-mouthed, disagreeable man who has come to collect the debts of Yelena's late husband. When she cannot pay him, he refuses to leave her house, and the results are quite unexpected.

According to director Hall, the distinguishing aspect of Chekhov's plays is his characters.

"Chekhov's characters are a wonderful mirror of the serious people we interact with every day and can be seen as hilariously ridiculous caricatures of the human condition. Chekhov was a man who cared about people and was serious about changing the world by making people see the humor in their situations," Hall said.

The talented cast includes Kristen Frazier (Yelena), Michael Ladd (Grigory) and Matt Volner (Luka). Performances will be held Friday, Oct. 1, at 4:30 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 2, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 3, at 7:30 p.m. at the Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts. Tickets are available at the Schwartz Center box office, 12:30-5:30 p.m. weekdays; call 254-ARTS.