Writer: Anton Chekhov
Director: Alexandra Shelest
Amidst the regularly performed long plays, Chekhov also created a series of short dramas, one of which is presented by director Alexandra Shelest at the Hen & Chickens Theatre as part of the Camden Fringe. Running at just 25 minutes, The Proposal is full of themes that resonate across the writer’s work, from the transactional nature of marriage to a mercantile obsession with the value of landed estates, with the company making much of the comic possibilities and exaggerated characterisation.
Arriving to propose to the neighbour’s daughter Natalia, Lomov’s plans are quickly derailed by a series of explosive arguments about the boundaries of their respective estates and who has the best dog. Despite cordial relations on both sides, along with a mutual willingness to marry, will they ever agree on an engagement?
In spite of its brevity, Shelest does well to present this as a comic melodrama filled with characters who are quick to temper and express extreme emotions and reactions, from the palpitations that affect Lomov when pushed on ownership to the hysterical crying that afflicts Natalia when she discovers she may have argued herself out of a proposal to a respectable local man however misguided he may be about the ownership of the disputed meadow. Chekhov’s drama is well observed, and so too is the production.
The company find, but perhaps doesn’t press enough, the irony of the initial argument that whoever ‘owns’ the field is immaterial if their two families and presumably households are to be united in marriage which will then be inherited by a mutual future heir to both estates. But the quickly escalating pettiness of neighbours straining their genteel pretensions is enjoyable, particularly in the context of the business arrangement Lomov wishes to pursue, having no love for Natalia, thinking only of his age and the importance of being wed to almost anyone educated who can be a good housekeeper.
David de Paiva as Lomov is a kind but emotionally limited man, a typical Chekhovian landowner who invests more in his boundary than in choosing his wife, and there is much to savour in the bickering that will define his future. Kate Bilverstone is equally unyielding and occasionally hysterical as Natalia, who, as ever with Chekhov’s women, is a match for any man in the room, while Apostoles Lytras as father Chubukov is as quick to set aside convention to protect his family rights. All the performances are a little overplayed, but it suits the satirical tone of the production.
It is a shame that the company choose to show only one story rather than fill the hour with a couple having booked the venue. A repertory double bill would make this a more satisfying experience for the audience and offer a more substantial showcase for this theatre company performing some of Chekhov’s less well-known short plays.
Runs Until 24 August 2025
Camden Fringe runs until 24 August 2025
