Overview
Synopsis
The town of Kulyenchikov has been cursed with stupidity for the last 200 years. The vendor sells fish instead of flowers, the shepherd is always losing his sheep, and the postman keeps all the mail. Our story begins when Leon Tolschinsky, a school teacher, arrives to educate the daughter of the town doctor, Sophia Zubritsky. Of course, Leon falls in love at first sight with Sophia, even though she just recently learned to sit down. Dr. Zubritsky is hopeful that this teacher will be the one to break the curse… (Or is it purse? Something like that). However, Leon soon finds out that the only way to break the curse is to educate Sophia (which proves to be impossible) or allow her to marry Count Gregor Yousekevitch. Leon vows to do whatever it takes to teach her. But he only has 24 hours to break it before he, too, falls victim to the curse. Chock full of over the top characters and Neil Simon’s hilarious style of comedy, this play will have audiences and actors alike chuckling at the Fools of Kulyenchikov.
Show Information
- Book
- Neil Simon
- Category
- Play
- Age Guidance
- Thirteen Plus (PG-13)
- Number of Acts
- 2
- First Produced
- 1981
- Genres
- Comedy
- Settings
- Period, Multiple Settings, Unit/Single Set
- Time & Place
- Long Ago/The village of Kulyenchikov
- Cast Size
- medium
- Orchestra Size
- None
- Dancing
- None
- Licensor
- Concord Theatricals
- Ideal For
- College/University, Community Theatre, High School, Middle School, Small Cast, Star Vehicle Male, Professional Theatre, Mostly Male Cast, Includes Young Adult, Adult, Mature Adult Characters, Medium Cast
Context
Plot
Characters
| Name | Part Size | Gender | Vocal Part |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Lead |
Female |
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Lead |
Male |
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Lead |
Male |
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Lead |
Female |
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Supporting |
Male |
|
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|
Featured |
Female |
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|
Featured |
Male |
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Featured |
Male |
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Featured |
Male |
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Featured |
Male |
|
Songs
A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.
Monologues
Scenes
Key Terms
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Videos
Quizzes
Themes, Symbols & Motifs
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Quote Analysis
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