The legendary Neil Simon channels master playwright Anton Chekhov in 2nd Story Theatre's superb production of The Good Doctor, a delightful portrayal of a day in the life of a writer.

Simon, best known for his stage, screen and television comedies, including The Odd Couple, The Goodbye Girl and Brighton Beach Memoirs, pays tribute to Chekhov with a collection of vignettes, all of which are amusing, poignant, and above all, entertaining.

Each new tale is introduced by the author, The Writer (John Michael Richardson), who invites the audience to spend the day with him and try to understand how writers are beholden to their imaginations, thus they cannot function as anything else.

In the hilarious first entry, "The Sneeze," a theater patron, Cherdyakov (Jonathan Jacobs), unintentionally sneezes on the gentleman seated in front of him, the General (Vince Petronio), who is also his superior. Cherdyakov becomes obsessed with what may or may not happen as a result of this mishap and an apology, it turns out, only exacerbates his predicament.

It is precisely this kind of psychology and uncertainty, in which a person's thoughts has a direct or indirect effect on his or her actions, that influences The Writer's stories, much like Chekhov's body of work and Simon's own retelling of it.

In the haunting story, "The Governess," a young, impressionable servant, Julia (Erin Sheehan), allows her seemingly stern mistress (Gloria Crist) to falsely accuse her of unprofessional behavior.

A sexton (Nick Thibeault) with a rotten tooth is at the mercy of a novice dentist, Kuryatin (Andrew Iacovelli), in the most physically active and conventionally funny interplay, "Surgery."

Joan Batting plays a lonely, nameless woman enamored of The Writer in the brief but profound, "Too Late for Happiness." Peter (Jeff Church) is a master at getting married women to fall in love with him in "The Seduction." F. William Oakes portrays a tramp who earns money by pretending to drown in "The Drowned Man." Donna Lubrano is an aspiring actress who just wants to be listened to in "The Audition."

In the most side-splitting segment, "A Defenseless Creature," a wheelchair-bound banker, Kistunov (Joe Henderson), fails to turn away a disgruntled woman (Pam Faulker) who isn't even a customer, and Richardson plays a father who appears to be in a rush for his son (Will Valles) to grow up, in the final and most touching of the story collection, "The Arrangement."

Ed Shea and Pat Hegnauer do a spectacular job directing this production (better described as an event) complete with generous helpings of subliminal storytelling and masterful performances.

Richardson, who always delivers on stage, has never been better or more inspired in this role as The Writer. His genial disposition helps create the warm, intimate setting that demands the audience's attention and affection.

Each member of this vast, talented ensemble gives a fine performance and those especially noteworthy include Crist as the Mistress ("The Governess"), Laura Sorensen as the Wife ("The Seduction"), Faulkner as the Woman ("A Defenseless Creature"), and Valles as the Boy ("The Arrangement").

Neil Simon may not be the most subtle of playwrights, too often tempted beyond endurance to go for the gag at the expense of motivation. But he deserves a hearty toast - the good vodka, please - for his collaboration with Anton Chekhov on The Good Doctor, which is getting an uproarious production at 2nd Story Theatre through April 10.What a cast of characters. An incompetent dentist, a skillfully insistent little old lady, a pitiful target of seduction, a seduction-averse young man, and so much more. Without props or scenery, the eye-catching costume design by Ron Cesario, from an ornately uniformed general to a colorfully gussied-up prostitute, are especially helpful visual aids.

It's hard to imagine the 19th-century Russian author not smiling at these performances. They are directed by the company artistic director Ed Shea and the theater's co-founder, Pat Hegnauer, whose specialty is the intimate one-on-one exchanges that these pieces rely on. She knows when an actor's less can be more and when to let him or her loose. The 21 actors here, with few exceptions, are familiar faces on the 2nd Story stage, and the opportunity has drawn out their best.

Identified only as the Writer, John Michael Richardson brightly portrays Chekhov, who introduces and narrates these brief stories and sometimes engages with the characters. Rather than building up to the most outrageous piece, things kick off with "The Sneeze";thanks to Jonathan Jacobs as the irrepressible sneezer, it's the hilarity high point. He is Cherdyakov, a lowly bureaucrat in the Ministry of Public Parks. At the opera, the minister of that department, Gen. Brassilhov (Vince Petronio), is seated in front of him, the occasion for obsequious fawning as well as the fateful ah-choo. More than the repeated sight gag, the humor of the piece comes from social commentary: lower-class Cherdyakov wants desperately to behave like a gentleman, so he can't stop apologizing, then or even the next day.

Physical humor is also relied on in "Surgery," in which the dentist is out but his assistant (Andrew Iacovelli) is all too eager to take pliers to the throbbing molar tormenting a poor sexton (Nicholas Thibeault). As the two jostle and wrestle around the stage, our howls of laughter over howls of pain may reveal us to be secret sadists, but few will be able to resist at least a wide grin.

The title character in "A Defenseless Creature" is a force of nature - human nature. The chatterbox of a woman (Pam Faulkner) has been getting no help from the proper social agencies for her husband's debilitating disorder, a quite understandable nervous condition. Arbitrarily, she goes to a bank for compensation and argues her case before the manager, Kistunov (Joe Henderson). Like tall waves crashing upon a shore, her inundating words eventually wear him down, of course. Both Faulkner's incessant prattle and Henderson's transition from cheerfully dismissive to agonized are dreadful fun to watch.

A similar intensity entertainingly consumes F. William Oakes as the entrepreneurial tramp in "The Drowned Man." He is auditioning for a passing policeman (Max Ponticelli) because he wants to be paid to perform a dramatically convincing drowning in a nearby river. That contrasts nicely with the following piece, "The Audition," in which a young woman (Donna Lubrano) quietly, skillfully, performs before her hero Chekhov after walking all the way from Odessa.

Chekhov wasn't as gimmicky as short story writer O. Henry, but he would occasionally come up with a curveball ending. Here two such closings emerge from character rather than contrivance. In "The Governess," the young title character (Erin Sheehan) is being cheated out of agreed-upon compensation by an apparently callous employer (Gloria Crist). In "The Seduction," arrogant seducer Peter (Jeff Church) is detailing to us a case study, getting a husband (Dillon Medina) to unwittingly aid in the moral corruption of his wife (Laura Sorensen).

At one point, the Writer jokes that some day he will write a collection of stories all ending with the protagonist getting a five-million ruble inheritance. How fortunate for us, and Neil Simon, that Chekhov was able to please us instead with human traits and foibles far more true to life.

I've got to admit I've never been a big fan of Neil Simon. But his "The Good Doctor," now at Warren's 2nd Story Theatre, is welcomed medicine.

This is Simon's homage to Dr. Anton Chekhov, a clever, warm-hearted adaptation of nine of the Russian author's short stories. It's witty. How could it not be, with such a partnership? But more in a wry, restrained Chekhovian fashion, rather than the heavy-handed humor I often associate with Simon. It is in other words, a class-act of a show that under the measured direction of Ed Shea and former partner Pat Hegnauer says a lot about the human condition.

As the play opens we meet a writer-narrator, who strings all these sparkling vignettes together. He busies himself at his desk, then in a moment of surprise notices the audience and invites them into his world of words and an assorted oddball characters. There is the insecure public servant who comes unglued because of a sneeze, an insufferable rake who meets his match, an eccentric hustler who feigns drowning, and a nag of a woman who brings a powerful banker to his knees.

And to wrap things up, there is a sweet scene in which a father takes his 19-year-old son to a brothel to make him a man, only to reconsider and settle for a boy.

Each story is a little one-act mini-play, or as Shea said before the start of the performance, "short attention span Chekhov." But don't let the scope of the stories fool you, they speak volumes.

It's impossible to cite the entire cast, the crew for the show is so big. But there were a handful of memorable moments, like Joe Henderson's banker, who tries to help a woman looking for money for her sick husband, and soon realizes he has met the client from hell. He is doting at first, but then comes unraveled in a crescendo of frustration and sputtering rage.

John Michael Richardson is terrific as The Writer, the Chekhov character. He's the glue that holds the production together. And Laura Sorensen turned in a fine performance as the wife whose head is turned by a shameless womanizer.

Andrew Iacovelli stood out for a nifty bit of physical comedy, in which he plays a dentist treating a priest with a raging toothache. The priest, played by Nicholas Thibeault, is wary, and for good reason, as Iacovelli clambers into his lap and wrestles him to the floor. At one point, Iacovelli scrambled over a chair, jumped onto Thibeault's back and stuck there like Velcro, riding him like a bronco around the stage.

F. William Oakes gave a solid performance as the tramp who pretends to drown for a couple of bucks. The only problem is Oakes's character can't swim, and relies on a partner to rescue him. It is up to Richardson's writer to fetch the man from a nearby bar. But when the time comes, as Oakes is going down for the third time, Richardson can't for the life of him remember the accomplice's name.

Jonathan Jacobs is the fawning civil servant, who sneezes on the bald head of his boss during a night at the theater. The minister, played by Vince Petronio, takes the whole thing in stride, but Jacobs' Cherdyakov (a sneeze of a name) can't leave well enough alone, and begins to obsess about the incident, fearing he will be ruined. Cherdyakov, who is in charge of trees and bushes in the public parks system, begins to fret he might be demoted to twigs and branches. But the more he tries to apologize, the more he enrages the minister.

Then there is the wonderful scene where Richardson takes his son to see a hooker. Will Valles, the high school student who was so excellent in 2nd Story's production of David Lindsay-Abaire's "Kimberly Akimbo," plays the boy with a mix of naïvete and insightfulness, as he tells Richardson that after his encounter with a prostitute he will no longer be his little boy.

All this is played out on what for 2nd Story is a pretty atmospheric set, the suggestions of a country house with windows that open to the evening air and the sounds of crickets and a cooing mourning dove.

The show got laughs opening night, but no one was rolling in the aisles. For the humor is fairly subtle, making its points with things like irony. The same is true of the direction, which is not nearly as frantic and fast-paced as a lot of 2nd Story efforts. In other words, as a show, it's just what the doctor ordered.

Continuing 2nd Story's year of comedy offerings, Ed Shea and Co. have chosen to offer up a left-of-center sample of Neil Simon's work. Chekov filtered through Simon sounds like the distillation of a Theater 101 class where all we're left with is Matthew Broderick standing in a gray field muttering to himself about the winter. In Queens.

However, Chekov's comedy chops are notoriously overlooked and Simon's belt covers more than borscht, so 'The Good Doctor' serves as an adequately 2nd Story-esque replacement for the originally slotted production of 'Playboy of the Western World'. In a speech to this night's audience, Ed Shea promises that 'The Good Doctor' is a sublime getaway from the world's worries of the past week - and our own. And, he's right; there are no heavy metaphors here, no religious or political speechifying or even the burden of Shakespearean verse. This is sensual, yet quiet, escapism. If only for a few hours, we're given permission to leave our burdens at home.

The framework is the central conceit of a Chekovian narrator, The Writer (John Michael Richardson), charmingly guiding us through several of his short works, which are, with varying degrees of success, brought to life. Richardson creates his own persona instead of attempting to channel Chekov (or Simon) and relies on the strength of an enchanting voice and the ability to make us hang on every word. The net effect is charming and The Writer brings us to his world for a breezy social visit, as if Sunday tea were about to be served. Trevor Elliott's set augments this effect with the creation of a grand parlor with large open window, the comforting sounds of cicadas and crickets in the background.

It is this third, almost Southern, ambience that wraps around the givens of Chekovian character and whimsical Neil Simon comedy, aiding the sense that the audience is eavesdropping on a rich secret. It is a secret told in the velvety voice of Richardson and his vivid characters. It is a delicious bond between The Writer and the audience which grows stronger throughout the play.

By far the most successfully realized vignette in the first act is Surgery, in which a would-be dentist takes on a tooth. The physical comedy by Andrew Iacovelli and Nicholas Thibeault reaches Three Stooges proportions, leaving the audience spent from laughter and wanting more.

Unfortunately, what makes Richardson such a success as a narrator becomes the play's biggest weakness. The ultimately confusing Too Late for Happiness, in which Joan Batting plays a widow considering another try at love, sees Richardson take a step away from his role as narrator and take on a character opposite Batting. The leap is a little much and the piece does not last long enough for us to forget Richardson as our narrator. Neither Batting nor the vignette is well served as a result. (Admittedly, the part was originally played by an actor no longer in the production, but one wonders if any other performers could have been found that would have been able to handle this small interlude without pulling Richardson so far out of his world.)

However, after this small speed bump, the stories continue with The Seduction in which the lovely Laura Sorenson as The Wife finds herself played (and played well) by Jeff Church's Peter, a master of stealing wives from husbands. Church delivers Peter with a calm quietude uncharacteristic among egotistical males; no boastfulness, just pride in his manipulations and their result. While it would have been easy to portray Peter as seedy or conniving, Church sees him as just an honest scoundrel, a gambler who knows he always has a straight flush.

Bill Oakes, as animated as ever, plays a fantastic lunatic in The Drowned Man and Valerie Westgate gives a memorable performance as the sassy tart in The Arrangement. She is an exciting addition to the 2nd Story stage and the pony to bet on in future productions.

So, while some of the stories fall a bit short in this evening, all are served well by wonderful staging and direction by Pat Hegnauer and Ed Shea. They wisely never let a moment last too long before we find ourselves involved in something completely different and there is a continuous flow of amusing choices to satisfy one's attention span, however long or short it may be. And even where the mind may wander, the eye is always satisfied. Of special note are Ron Cesario's costumes, styled in turn of the century Russia, filled with rich hues and textures and a major element of the aforementioned sensual aspect of this production.

All in all, 'The Good Doctor' is a great time. So much so, that after all the laughter, we're a little saddened by the evening coming to an end. So, if hungry for a little reprieve from life, 2nd Story serves it up on a silver platter. The Doctor is in...let the healing begin.

Your high school Chekhov this isn't. The Good Doctor, a slight, bright comedy playing at 2nd Story Theatre in Warren through April 10, couldn't be further away from Uncle Vanya and the Cherry Orchard.

What it is: a succession of brief, bravura performances as a large cast tackles nine skits based on short stories and biographical material from the Russian master, aided by expert direction from Pat Hegnauer and Ed Shea and introduced by Chekhov himself, as depicted in a fictional moment of his later life. The play offers moments of wonderful physical comedy, touching insight into Chekhov's life and the deliciously observed humor found in his earlier writings, without the sense of ruin that characterizes much of his later work, particularly the major plays. Those plays may be more widely read here now, but Chekhov honed his skills writing short stories for newspapers to help support his family, and he's regarded as one of the short-story greats. The Good Doctor, written thirty years ago by Neil Simon, shows why.

It's funny, as you'd expect from Simon - the playwright was staged most recently at Trinity Repertory Company last year in one of his most famous pieces, The Odd Couple - and it's also occasionally sad or poignant. But don't look for deeper meanings or thought-provoking twists in this play, which runs a little under two hours with intermission. While the characters on stage experience minor revelations that still resonate with modern audiences, this isn't a work of any great depth. It's light-hearted literary fun that will have you laughing, and occasionally squirming, in your seat.

The play's name is based on the fact that Chekhov practiced medicine all his life, often treating the poor for free. He slowed down only in his late 30s - he died at 44 - when a diagnosis of tuberculosis meant spending time on one of the country estates his success as a writer allowed him to buy. A country setting is masterfully conjured in the first moments of the play, with 2nd Story's usual spare but atmospheric set design and lighting (kudos to Trevor Elliot and Ron Allen), as John Michael Richardson strides on stage to show us Chekhov in his writing lodge, musing alone at dusk. It's a quiet but authoritative moment, broken when Richardson realizes he has an audience and addresses it directly to talk about his writing and how his characters force themselves upon him. This opening moves quickly into the first skit, The Sneeze, a hilarious and psychologically acute look at how an aspiring civil servant torpedoes his own career by becoming obsessed over a lapse in etiquette and repeatedly apologizing for it to his boss.

Richardson, the anchor of the performance, is on stage for the entire evening, playing Chekhov as both writer and occasional participant in the sketches that follow. He's as handsome, likeable and literate seeming as Chekhov himself, easily commanding the stage, but his performance left me wondering whether Chekhov, who married late and was notoriously averse to serious relationships, might have been gay - and whether the suggestion by 2nd Story is deliberate or unintentional. Whatever the case, it's impossible not to respond to the twinkle in Richardson's eye as he riffs on Chekhov's famous reluctance to supply a tidy ending: "But wait! There's an alternate ending!" he cries with delight, one that involves a sudden inheritance and complete abandonment of the story's internal structure. Like so much in this play, it's a smart point, smartly made, and played for fun all the way.

Two stand-out scenes in the first half deserve special mention. In The Surgery, dentist Andrew Iacovelli is manic but determined as he clambers all over his much larger patient, played by Nicholas Thibeault, trying to pull out a rotten tooth. It's as funny and cringe-worthy a scene as you'll see - forget A Million Little Pieces, this is much more self-aware - and both actors deliver fearless physical performances.

And at the end of the first half, Jeff Church is unctuously arrogant as Peter in The Seduction, in which the "most famous lover of other man's wives" finally meets his match - the excellent Laura Sorensen - in a deliciously clever denoument. This skit alone is worth the price of admission.

The play runs out of steam somewhat in the second half, although many great moments remain, in particular those that involve F. William Oakes as a con man and Will Valles as an awkward boy who may or may not be the young Chekhov. In all, it's a welcome glimpse at a man who's often known only for his longer, more serious work, but who remains an acute, funny and yet kindly observer of all that's ridiculous in human nature.

The Good Doctor is a tasting menu of Anton Chekhov's work, as prepared by Neil Simon during the early 1970's and smartly served up by Ed Shea and Pat Hegnauer along with the cast and crew at 2nd Story Theatre in Warren, RI.

The show looks, talks and feels like Chekhov, with only a few moments of recognizable Simon. The comedy, with some exceptions, is understated, wry and ironic which lends itself to an amusing, if not capital "F" funny production.

Scenes include (but are not limited to) "The Sneezer," about a social-climbing, yet middling, civil servant who finds it impossible to over-apologize to a well-placed political hack for an innocent and inconvenient sneeze.

In "The Governess", a flinty employer successfully, if not subtly, maneuvers her new governess out two months of pay.

"The Drowned Man" makes his money by drowning himself, or hopefully nearly drowning himself for a small and negotiable fee.

"The Defenseless Creature" is my favorite vignette in this production and features an elderly crone who successfully extorts money from a banker as a kind of karmic payment for the troubles she and her husband have endured.

The play ends with "The Arrangement" and follows a father who takes his shy teen-age son to a brothel for a rite of passage that neither of the men is ready complete.

The beauty of The Good Doctor is the short attention and commitment to characters that is needed from the audience.

To present all of the scenes that Simon has woven together Shea and Hegnauer have assembled a cast that is enormous, by the theatre's standard. An individual cast member may only be on stage for 5 minutes of the 90-minute production. Only John Michael Richardson, in a delightful performance as The Writer (undoubtedly based on Chekov himself), is a constant.

Neil Simon and Anton Chekhov - an odd couple?

They have more in common than you think, and 2nd Story Theatre's production of "The Good Doctor" shows us what that is.

In this play, the 20th-century American playwright (the play debuted in 1973) adopts the style of the 19th century Russian author's short stories to create this one comic production. While it's not a laugh riot, there is lots of humor - plus irony, poignancy and a couple surprise twists - among the nine vignettes.

In characteristic 2nd Story style, directors Ed Shea and Pat Hegnauerhave polished each scene so that the words come at just the right pace, every gesture has its purpose, and the actors often are positioned so they look like fig- ures in a painting. Ron Cesario's gorgeously detailed costumes help with the latter.

One scene doesn't relate to the next, but they're held together by the character identified as The Writer, played with understanding by John Michael Richardson.

Sometimes he tells the story, sometimes he lets the characters tell their own story, and on occasion, he is a character in his own story, but he always is warm, engaging and funny. He's the perfect ringleader.

Like Forrest Gump's box of chocolates, there is lots of variety in this collection, and you don't know until you take a bite what's in store, either in story line or the way it's performed.

The play opens with "The Sneeze," in which an obsequious civil servant, Cherdyakov, inadvertently cneezes all over his boss, General Brassilhov. The General is willing to dismiss the matter as an accident, but Cherdyakov obsesses over the horribly embarassing fauz pas.

With time and some convoluted reasoning, however, Cherdyakov talks himself into believing he is the one who should be insulted.

What makes this talky tale work is Jonathan Jacobs' transformation as Cherdyakov from the injurer to the one injured, and Vince Petronio as the general who grows increasingly irritated and frustrated with the pesky young man. They're both entertaining.

The restrained women in "The Governess" contrast with the wild physical comedy of "Surgery," in which a desperate man with an aching tooth encounters an inexperienced dentist. "Too Late for Happiness" is a quiet interlude; what isn't said is more significant that what is - a Chekhov hallmark.

Sparkling performances enliven "The Seduction," in which an extrememly self-confident Peter, played by a smooth Jeff Church, uses the Husband, played by a convincingly clueless Dillon Medina, to conquer the Wife. As the latter, Laura Sorensen is the paradigm for a desperate housewife - only smarter.

There's more physical action in "The Drowned Man," thanks in large part to F. William Oakes exuberant work in the title role, while "The Audition" is a one-woman effort to portray all of Chekhov's "Three Sisters."

"A Defenseless Creature" gets its laughs from the interaction between an ailing banker and a woman who defies the title.

The best is last. It's called "The Arrangement" and tells of a father's plan to hire a prostitute to teach his 19-year-old son about sex.

Richardson steps into the story as the Father and finds emotion, not clicheé, in his role.

As the Girl, Valerie Westgate is a businesswoman, but a sweet one, and Will Valles as the uneasy Boy will bring out the mother - or father - in all of us.

All the stories, but this one in particular, exemplify the common ground between Simon and Chekhov. In their respective centuries, each is an insightful observer of his fellow humans and can find things funny and poignant at the same moment. The stories and their telling are well crafted and a lot of fun.

The current show at 2nd Story Theatre is "The Good Doctor", Neil Simon's heartwarming and hilarious tribute to Anton Chekhov. Simon, the popular Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, expertly weaves a variety of Chekhov short stories into laugh-out-loud evening of infectious humor, touching tenderness and unending fun. The show is set in Russia and Simon transformed the short stories into comedies. He wrote this show after his first wife, Joan died suddenly. One of the scenes in the show is very touching and is called "Too Late for Happiness" with John Michael Richardson and Joan Batting capturing the pathos Simon felt at this point in his life. The show was a catharsis for him and helped him continue to write his signature style shows. The title of the play refers to Chekhov who was a doctor in real life. The cast of characters includes a writer, a blustering general, a lady of the night, a wild woman with a nervous disorder, a man who earns money by "drowning", a novice dentist, and an overeager actress. "The Good Doctor" opened on Broadway's Eugene O'Neil Theatre in November 1973 with Christopher Plummer heading the cast and ran for 208 performances. The show has 10 scenes and 21 performers. Directors Ed Shea and Pat Hegnauer cast this show extremely well and obtain splendid performances from their cast.

They give their cast some clever comic bits and shtick to perform, obtaining them many laughs and much merriment. There are many twists and turns in the stories with some them having to be seen to be believed. Ed and Pat are aided in their task by Ron Cesario who provides some glamorous costumes for this show, set design by Trevor Eliet and lighting design by Ron Allen. John Michael Richardson is spellbinding in this role of Anton Chekhov. He narrates the show, keeps the storyline flowing along, reacts to all the scenes and appears in 5 of them. John Michael is onstage throughout the entire show and one of his biggest laughs comes when he mentions an alternate ending a few times. His expert performance captures the essence of Chekhov splendidly with Simon's retelling of his short stories. One of John Michael's funniest scenes is when he haggles with Bill Oakes in "The Drowned Man" by haggling at the price he must pay to witness the event. Hard working operations manager Max Ponticelli appears in this sequence as the policeman and delivers a splendid funny performance with his line delivery.

Some of the funniest segments include the comedy of the General, Vince Petronio getting sneezed on by his worker, Jonathan Jacobs in "The Sneeze". Jonathan keeps apologizing for the sneeze leading to many laughs at the class distinctions of the time period. Two slapstick scenes are "Surgery" where Nicholas Thibeault is a Sexton needing a bad tooth pulled and Andrew Iacovelli as the student dentist (the physical comedy as they struggle back and forth is hilarious) and "A Defenseless Creature" with Pam Faulkner bursting into a bank manager's office demanding payment for her husband's unjust firing because of a nervous condition. She is a whirling dervish in this sequence running rough shod over and browbeating Joe Henderson and Kevin Broccoli while hurling accusations, curses and pulling out her hair during it. Standout scenes include "The Seduction" with blond haired Jeff Church being very debonair, telling the Writer he can have any married woman he wants via patience and persistence. Jeff's antics are hysterical and Laura Sorenson as the beguiling married woman and Dillon Medina, as her unsuspecting husband are terrific, too. In "The Arrangement" John Michael tries to make a man out of his son played by Will Valles, who is only 16 years old. This is a heartwarming scene with John Michael and Will showing a nice relationship with each other. Will is terrific and shows great acting potential at a young age. So for a terrific Neil Simon comedy, be sure to catch "The Good Doctor" at 2nd Story Theatre because it is just what the doctor ordered in these trying times.

Director Ed Shea dropped "Playboy of the Western World" from his 2nd Story Theatre schedule to introduce the audience to something quite different and unusual.

Neil Simon (Yes, the same Neil Simon who gave us "The Odd Couple" and "The Sunshine Boys") rewrote eight humorous plays by Russian playwright Anton Chekov and wove them together as a sort of "Short Attention Span" evening of theatre titled "The Good Doctor." Shea, with help from Pat Hegnauer, has directed the comedy with tongue-in-cheek, providing a fun night at the theatre.

Like 2nd Story's patented evening of short plays, if you don't like one of them, hang on for a few minutes for the next one. In my case, there was only one that I could have done without.

The plays are smoothly connected by The Writer, played magnificently by John Michael Richardson, who introduces the evening, provides some of the narrative, and even immerses himself in the action. While he easily could have doubled up and even tripled up some of the roles, Shea uses 20 actors in the eight short plays, providing work for a number of actors.

Some of the humor is a bit stretched and outdated and very Russian, which translates to dark, political, class-oriented satire. "The Sneeze" is a perfect example, as a lower class government employee (Jonathan Jacobs) sneezes onto the bald head of General Brassilhov (Vince Petronio), apologizes profusely, and then re-examines his motives. Poor Petronio had to shave his head and take some direct hits for his part. Who said acting was easy?

"The Governess" is a simplification of class abuse, concerning the docking of a maid's pay to teach her a lesson. Not my favorite.

From a wordy two-person dialogue, Simon takes us to the opposite pole with a very physical "Surgery," with a dentist's apprentice removing a reluctant sexton's tooth. It's silly. It's crazy. But it's fun.

My favorite play was "The Seduction," a clever tale about a handsome young man who seduces married women and tells us how he does it. Jeff Church is suave and seductive, always with a twinkle in his eye. But the play (and the evening) goes to Laura Sorenson as the wife. Watching her reactions and hearing her comments is pure delight. While Russian humor is usually quite blunt and blatant, Church and Sorenson exhibit perfect comic timing in this gem.

"The Drowned Man" is a clever, if somewhat overstated, satire, with F. William Oakes chewing up the scenery as a man who will act out his own drowning for a price.

Two quickies follow, leading to my second favorite, a brief tale of a man wishing to "make a man" out of his 19-year-old son. From silly to succinct, "The Good Doctor" is a nice diversion from the standard play. You'll see a lot more Chekhov in the writing than Simon.