Tehran – The adaptation of Russian writer Valentin Katayev’s 1947 play “I Want To To To Tay Moussov” is currently on stage at the Near Balan Cultural Centre in Tehran.
Mohammad Javad Habibi is the director of the play and is translated into Persian by Mahmoud Azizi.
Hasti Jafari, Amir Shariat, Matin Tajik, Goudarz Hajari, Mehdi Kazemlu and Saba Amiri are the main members of the cast of the play.
“I Want to Watch Moussov” is a comedic play that revolves around a series of misunderstandings and false identity.
The story follows a dedicated handyman named Zaitsev, who is in charge of renovations to the Moscow nursery. One day he needs to meet with Comrade Moussov, a patient at an honorable resting place called The Hunflowers, to secure his signature with a 50-kilogram white enamel paint delivery receipt.
But Zaitsev soon discovers that entry into this respected institution is not so easy. This is especially because it caters to well-known individuals.
To navigate this bureaucratic obstacle, Zaitsev improvises a clever deceit. He creates a story that claims to be the husband of Klava Ignatyuk, a well-known agriculture scholar who has just been awarded a gold medal for his agricultural achievements and is now making headlines.
With a twist of fate, Krava plans to arrive at Sunflower on the same day and meet her real husband. Unconscious of Zaitsev’s true identity, Rest Home staff mistakenly assumes that he is Klava’s secret lover.
As the plot unfolds, Zaitsev’s first intention – getting a simple signature is the spine to a misleading comedy farce. He interacts with Klava and his staff as he cleverly navigates the social dynamics of the rest of his home and continues to pretend to be her husband. Comedy lies on the absurdity of the situation and shows how easy it is to complicate what misunderstanding and false identity is a simple encounter.
The humor of “I want to see Moussov” is layered with social commentary on the bureaucratic nature of Soviet society. Through laughter, Katayev criticizes the deficit and arbitrary volitional restrictions that govern personal interactions. The play reflects a universal theme. The stupidity of bureaucracy and human desire for connection, even amidst the confusion and deception.
The first performance of “I Want To Take Moussov” took place on November 12th, 1965 at The Theater des Nouveautés.
The play was then translated into French by Tamara Dharmat and Mark Gilbert Sorva John and resonated with viewers beyond Russian origins and has been extremely successful. Through the blending of humor and social critique, the play remains a related investigation of social norms and human behavior in the face of absurdity.
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