Krasnogorov's The Dog -- American Premiere

[Benjamin Sher]

Dear Colleagues:

May I invite those of you who will be in New York City next week to
attend the American premiere of THE DOG, a contemporary Russian
tragedy by Valentin Krasnogorov (a.k.a. Valentin Fainberg) at the
Nada Theater on the Lower East Side of Manhattan.

Dates of Performance: Feb. 2 (premiere), 3,4,8,9,10,11.

THE DOG is a play about love, human responsibility and,
allegorically, about the theme of genocide.

THE DOG, in two acts, has been widely performed throughout Russia
and the former Soviet Union for the past ten years.

The play consists of only three characters: A Man, A Woman, and A Dog
(played by a little girl).

WARNING: This grim play is NOT for children. It involves the horrors
of gas chambers. Your children will have nightmares for life.

The Place: An Animal Clinic in Russia in the 1980's.

SYNOPSIS:

ACT ONE:

A man carrying a little dog walks into an Animal Clinic run by a
woman. The dog, adopted and given shelter by the man, has become too
much of a burden for him. He demands that she "take care" of it. We
quickly find out what that means. The woman, wanting to save the
dog, tries desperately to change his mind. He insists, but then
relents. We hear the howling of the dogs in the gas chambers
off-stage as the man leaves for the Registration Bureau down the
hall.

ACT TWO:

The man returns with his dog. In a hurry to return to his job on the
railroad, where he is "leader of the pack," he insists that the
woman "take care" of his dog. A "love scene" ensues between the
lonely woman and the macho man, with the life of the dog hanging in
the balance. Finally, the woman concedes defeat and "accepts" the
dog. Heart-broken, she drags the dog off-stage to do her duty,
stumbles and falls. We hear the howling dogs. End.

THE DOG moves relentlessly forward towards its horrifying
consummation. There is a brief 10-minute intermission between acts.

For reservations, please contact The Nada Theater (also known as
Todoconnada) at:

1-212-420-1466

Nada has three theaters. Please ask them which one will host The Dog.

You may also check their web site at:

http://www.todoconnada.com/index.html

Check the "Shows" category. They promised to have the play listed on
their schedule by Saturday.

Those who wish to read the play before going to see it will find in
its entirety on my web site at:

http://personal.msy.bellsouth.net/msy/s/h/sher07/

With your permission, I will issue a second and final announcement
when the play is posted and full details are available. I make this
provisional announcement now only because time is running out.

Yours,

Benjamin



Benjamin Sher
Russian Literary Translator
Email: sher07 at bellsouth.net
http://personal.msy.bellsouth.net/msy/s/h/sher07/