Five late-19th-century “Little Comedies” reveal Chekhov at his sharpest: lovers quarrel, creditors threaten, weddings unravel and a harried lecturer can’t stay on topic. In this collection, Richard Nelson, Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky’s translations reveal these short plays to be rich human portraits: funny, bruising and unexpectedly tender. Adapted by Nelson to form a single evening, these plays honour vaudeville speed while digging into Chekhov’s deeper themes of pride, longing, panic and the comedy of being alive.With a preface by Pevear and a director’s note by Nelson.Includes:The BearThe ProposalThe WeddingThe Harmfulness of TobaccoSwan SongRichard Nelson, Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky have co-translated Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard, Uncle Vanya, The Seagull, Three Sisters, Ivanov, and Platonov as well as plays by Turgenev, Gogol and Bulgakov. Pevear and Volokhonsky are the foremost translators of classical Russian literature into English; they have been awarded the PEN translation Award twice. Nelson is a Tony and Olivier Award winning playwright and director and an Honorary Associate Artist of The Royal Shakespeare Company.The Salamander Street Classics series offers classical plays in fresh, contemporary versions that preserve the writer’s structure, tone and imagery while connecting anew with today’s actors and audiences.