The Suicide is a 1928 play

Play (theatre)

A play is a form of literature written by a playwright, usually consisting of scripted dialogue between characters, intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. There are rare dramatists, notably George Bernard Shaw, who have had little preference whether their plays were performed...

 by the Russia

Russia

Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

n playwright Nikolai Erdman

Nikolai Erdman

Nikolay Robertovich Erdman was a Soviet dramatist and screenwriter primarily remembered for his work with Vsevolod Meyerhold in the 1920s. His plays, notably The Suicide , form a link in Russian literary history between the satirical drama of Nikolai Gogol and the post-World War II Theatre of the...

. Its performance was proscribed during the Stalinist era and it was only produced in Russia several years after the death of its writer. Today it is regarded as one of the finest plays to have come out of Communist Russia.

Plot

A young, unemployed man, Semyon, believes the answer to his problems is to learn to play the tuba. However, his plan fails and he contemplates suicide. His neighbour, Alexander Petrovich, decides to make money from Semyon's misery by exploiting his intended suicide to several bidders. These bidders planned to exploit Semyon's death to the furtherance of their own individual cause. The Intelligentsia

Intelligentsia

The intelligentsia is a social class of people engaged in complex, mental and creative labor directed to the development and dissemination of culture, encompassing intellectuals and social groups close to them...

, represented by Aristarkh, is the first to approach him. From this point on, Semyon finds himself being manipulated by various people representing the business world, the arts, the workers, romance, etc. During the course of the play, each character reveals the worst side of their personality, to humorous effect.

Productions

'The Suicide was first translated into English by Peter Tegel and premiered by the Royal Shakespeare Company at The Other Place, Stratford, on June 13, 1979. The production was directed by Ron Daniels, and the lead role of Semyon Semyonovitch was played by Roger Rees

Roger Rees

Roger Rees is a Welsh actor. He is best known to American audiences for playing the characters Robin Colcord on the American television sitcom show Cheers and Lord John Marbury on the American television drama The West Wing...

.

It was first put on Broadway on October 9, 1980 at the ANTA Playhouse

August Wilson Theatre

The August Wilson Theatre, located at 245 West 52nd Street in New York City, is a Broadway theatre.Designed by architects C. Howard Crane and Kenneth Franzheim and constructed by the Theatre Guild, it opened as the Guild Theatre in 1925 with a revival of George Bernard Shaw's Caesar and...

 (now called the August Wilson Theatre) and closed on November 30, 1980 after 60 performances. It was directed by Jonas Jurasas, movement by Ara Fitzgerald, scene and costume by Santo Loquasto

Santo Loquasto

Santo Richard Loquasto is a Sicilian-Italian-American production designer, scenic designer and costume designer for stage, film, and dance. He is a descendant of Libertino lo Guasto of Serradifalco, Caltanissetta, Sicily. Indy race car driver Al Loquasto was his first cousin...

, lighting design by F. Mitchell Dana, sound design by Jack Shearing, and costume and hair design by J. Roy Helland. The cast featured Derek Jacobi

Derek Jacobi

Sir Derek George Jacobi, CBE is an English actor and film director.A "forceful, commanding stage presence", Jacobi has enjoyed a highly successful stage career, appearing in such stage productions as Hamlet, Uncle Vanya, and Oedipus the King. He received a Tony Award for his performance in...

, Grayson Hall

Grayson Hall

Grayson Hall was an American television, film and stage actress. She was widely regarded for her avant garde theatrical performances in the 1960s-80s. Hall was nominated in 1964 for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award for the John Huston film The Night of the Iguana...

, John Heffernan, Angela Pietropinto, Susan Edwards, Laura Esterman

Laura Esterman

Laura Esterman is an American actress known for portraying Ruby the Galactic Gumshoe in contemporary radio dramas and for her Drama Desk Award and Obie Award winning performance in the 1992 original stage production of Scott McPherson's Marvin's Room.-Life and career:Esterman was born in New York...

, Clarence Felder

Clarence Felder

Clarence Felder is an American character actor who starred in films and on television and co-starred in ten Broadway productions....

, Cheryl Giannini, Carol Mayo Jenkins

Carol Mayo Jenkins

Carol Mayo Jenkins is an American actress who is most famous for having played Elizabeth Sherwood in seasons 1-5 of the T.V. series Fame...

, David Patrick Kelly

David Patrick Kelly

David Patrick Kelly is an American actor and musician who has appeared in numerous films, including some major roles.-Career:...

, Derek Meader, William Myers, Mary Lou Rosato,David Sabin,Leda Siskind, Chip Zien

Chip Zien

Chip Zien is an American actor. He is best known for playing the lead role of the Baker in the original Broadway production of Into the Woods by Stephen Sondheim...

, and Jeff Zinn

Jeff Zinn

Jeff Zinn is an American director and actor. He played Danny in the off-Broadway production of Sexual Perversity in Chicago by David Mamet and Trety in The Suicide by Nikolai Erdman starring Derek Jacobi. He attended Harvard University where he studied film making among a wide range of classes...

.