Hey There--Hello

by Gennadi Mamlin

Translated from the Russian by Miriam Morton.

Drama in two acts. 1 boy, 1 girl, both aged 14, plus 4 mimes. One hour 20 minutes . $ 6.50

The first thing American adolescents will notice about this comedy with serious overtones is that their counterparts in Russia are extraordinarily like themselves. Their boy-girl relationships are as full of the love/hate charade, their relationships with adults mingle affection and conflict, their efforts to clarify their values are as haunting and daunting.

The unexpected theatrical dimension Mamlin brings to this material is the inclusion of four mimes. They act out the boy's memory of dramatic events and his Walter Mitty fantasies. They appear as magician's assistants, reappear as championship runners in a foot race, appear again as surgeons performing exotic operations. They pace the comedy, mingle humor and pathos, provide surprise and variety to the unfolding relationship between Valerka and Masha. An ideal showpiece for a small advanced theatre class.