THE STORY: Set against the crumbling of the Soviet Union, as observed backstage at the Kuzlov Theater in St. Petersburg, THE QUICK- CHANGE ROOM is the comedic metaphor for the too-rapid transformation of Russia from communism to free-market capitalism. Nina, the daughter of the wardrobe mistress, has been cast as Irina in a revival of Chekhov's The Three Sisters. Using her considerable talents - theatrical and otherwise - she persuades management that what Chekhov's play needs in the New Russia is "musicsome songsmaybe even some dances." Chekhov's masterpiece becomes, for marketing purposes, an American style musical titled O My Sister! The venerable artistic director is kicked upstairs - after all, "Russia doesn't need great men now; it needs clever men" - and the long-reigning prima donna ends up working in wardrobe. A funny-sad commentary on current events, the metaphor of the quick-change room is not lost on the audience as the world around the acting troupe changes as drastically and as quickly as the world outside.

"THE QUICK-CHANGE ROOMdepicts the agonized contortions of artists forced to toe the bottom line of capitalism for the first time. In addition to being a scathing political satire, the play is a loving, lacerating lampoon of the theater, a near-perfect edifice that supports layer after layer of meaning, metaphor and rip-roaring hilarity." - LA Times. "As deeply provocative as it is ferociously funny, THE QUICK-CHANGE ROOM lights up the stage with a tumble of ideas, expressive high energy and flawless character work." - Denver Post. "Though his subject is very serious, Jackson keeps the tone of the play almost frothy. He deftly parodies American musical-comedy convention, skewering the banalities of the form without losing his own artful balance. His handling of the absurdities of greed never goes too far - and he keeps you laughing." - Westworld (Denver).

Publisher

Dramatists Play Service Inc.

Format

Play

Binding

Softcover

ISBN

9780822215851

Stock code

9780822215851

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