Naperville troupe to stage 'Good Doctor'

The works of Anton Chekhov don't make most people smile, let alone laugh, guffaw, knee-slap or roll on the floor.

In fact, unless you're a Russian literature buff, you may not even know who he is.

But starting June 17, Summer Place Theatre is giving the Naperville area a way to discover Chekhov through its production of “The Good Doctor.”

“I think the audience is going to be highly entertained,” Producer Ted Waltmire said. “Especially because they'll encounter a show they don't know too much about.”

Neil Simon's “The Good Doctor” features Chekhov's short stories, adapted for the stage and woven “around the leading character of The Writer, who basically is telling all of the stories,” Waltmire said.

Although much of Chekhov's work is far less jovial, the show offers a medley of seven stories, some Waltmire describes as “downright slapstick, while others are bittersweet.”

The cast of eight will perform Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, through June 26, at the Center Stage Theater, 1665 Quincy Ave., Suite 131, Naperville. Friday and Saturday shows begin at 8 p.m., with Sunday matinees at 3 p.m.

When it came time to choose the summer production, “The Good Doctor” was selected because of its fresh comedic presence and lack of public recognition.

“A lot of the well-known types are pretty much overdone,” Waltmire said of other Simon shows such as “The Odd Couple” and “Barefoot in the Park.” “So we decided, let's bring something back that's fun for the cast and fun for the audience.”

“The Good Doctor” was performed by the Summer Place Theatre in 1983 with Waltmire as The Sneezer, an employee who happens to sneeze on his boss' head while sitting behind him during a play.

“It's a role I'm re-creating all these years later,” Waltmire said. “It's kind of fun.”

The summer production offers a rare opportunity for the actors to expand their range and establish varied personas within the same performance.

“I think it's unique among Neil Simon plays,” Waltmire said. “I think what's unique about the cast is we have a chance to create a variety of different roles and surprise the audience.”

The challenges presented by Simon's work are no surprise to Director Alan Weiger, who directed “The Good Doctor” more than 20 years ago at Elmhurst College.

“I suppose one of the challenges, though it's also one of the pluses in terms of directing, is that there's not a, quote-unquote, play-long consistency,” Weiger said.

“It's a series of short vignettes, so you don't really get to establish characters through the run of a play. You have to get those characters established right away in the manner of a 10- to 15-minute scene.”

Waltmire also believes the show's challenges stem from the variety of different roles the small cast must master, both in memorization and cadence. He notes that Simon “writes in a distinct rhythm and if you don't have it, the lines won't land”

Once the audience gets past the physical elements of the show, though, the root of the seven short scenes are Chekhov's intricately crafted cast of characters.

“I love the characters that Chekhov draws up,” Weiger said. “They're done with such a gentle sense of humor in most situations and there's obviously a good sense of irony.”

Though beneath the increasingly ridiculous antics of characters like the man who earns money by drowning, “The Good Doctor” prescribes a deeper sentimental meaning.

“There are moments in life that you can laugh your way through,” Waltmire said. “And then there are moments that make you step back and think and treasure the people around you.”

If you go

What: Neil Simon's “The Good Doctor” presented by the Summer Place Theatre

When: 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 3 p.m. Sundays, June 17-26

Where: Center Stage Theater, 1665 Quincy Ave., Suite 131, Naperville

Cost: $20 for adults, $15 for seniors and students, $12 for children 12 and younger; $1 processing fee for online orders

Info: summerplacetheatre.com