March 29, 2011
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Ardavazt Theater Company Presents Derek Benfield's Comedy "Wednesday...My Darling"

  • Actors performing a scene from the most recent AGBU Ardavazt
    Actors performing a scene from the most recent AGBU Ardavazt Theater Company production, Derek Benfield’s play "Wednesday...My Darling," which was translated by director Krikor Satamian as "Chorekshapti...Sirelis."

From January 15 – February 27, 2011, AGBU Ardavazt Theater Company presented Derek Benfield's two-act farce titled "Wednesday...My Darling," translated by director Krikor Satamian as "Chorekshapti...Sirelis." The play, which is the latest in a chain of comedies presented over the past 30 years by the theater company, was performed twice every weekend at the AGBU Pasadena Center. In addition to a preview consisting of two dress rehearsals attended by an invited audience, there was a total of 12 performances with approximately 2,000 people in attendance. The gala performance took place on January 23, followed by a dinner in Boyajian Hall, during which theatergoers had the chance to meet with cast members and enjoy their comedic skits.

The play, written in 1982, is one of more than 30 comedies penned by Benfield (1926-2009), a veteran of British radio and television widely known in connection with various BBC series. In it, the author pokes fun at bourgeoisie middle-class European life, focusing particularly on the theme of marital infidelity, as played out by two sets of married – but philandering – couples, along with a mistress: Sossy Varjabedian and Alex Khorchidian, Maro Ajemian and Roupen Harmandayan, and Narine Avakian.

The production received half a dozen favorable reviews from various publications. In a review published in the February 1, 2011 issue of Nor Hayastan/New Armenia Daily, Sarkis Majarian writes, "In undertaking this production, Satamian once again confirmed his undeniable love for - and leaning toward - comedic theater, as well as his unfading will and effort to keep our dramatic art and culture alive and thriving with young, gifted and talented Armenian newcomers. Besides serving to perpetuate our theatrical life, this effort, viewed from a utilitarian standpoint, also strengthens our mission to wage the struggle on behalf of the Armenian language and, therefore, the preservation of the Armenian identity."

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