About the Play:

Two Fools Who Gained a Measure of Wisdom is a one-act comedy adapted for the stage by Tim Kelly, based on the short story Nothing to Choose Between Them by Anton Chekhov. Two Fools Who Gained a Measure of Wisdom is a clever and engaging short comedy that deals with a timeless situation: a young husband's fear that his eccentric relatives will embarrass him in front of his new bride. Especially recommended for school and contest use.

Two Fools Who Gained a Measure of Wisdom is about a newly married couple visiting the groom's obnoxious elderly aunt, who had paid for the wedding. A young husband is forced to visit the country estate of his rich aunt – somewhere in the vast reaches of rural Russia. She is an eccentric and irascible tyrant, and the nephew is nervous and upset because he fears the old lady will shame him in front of his shy, gentle bride. Their first contact is with the maid, who is disagreeable and rude, and the meeting with the aunt turns into a hilarious romp, as she talks to herself, smokes a cigar, and proves to have very few inhibitions, to say the least. The groom is certain his bride will be shocked into leaving him, but then she confesses her own dark secret – her relatives are, if anything, even worse! Anton Chekhov's blend of laughter and sentiment, and his uncanny perception of the interior workings of men and women are delightfully captured in the adaptation, and make this short play a gem of rich humour and characterization.

Two Fools Who Gained a Measure of Wisdom is an ideal choice for high school drama contests and one-act festivals. The running time of the play is about twenty minutes.

Cast: 3 female, 1 male

About the Playwright:

Tim Kelly (1931-1998) is often regarded as the most-published playwright in America, with over 300 titles to his credit under both his real name and at least four pseudonyms (Vera Morris, J. Moriarty, Robert Swift, Keith Jackson). Many of his plays, like Les Miserables, M*A*S*H and The Uninvited, are adaptations of novels, films. or television series, although he also wrote a host of parodies a well as original scripts and musical libretti. While his plays have been performed off-Broadway and by such companies as the Royal Court Rep, the Manhattan Theatre Club (MTC) and Seattle Rep, he is best known for writing for university, community and school theatre.