Blondell Directs a Humorous '33 Swoons'

Westmont Theater performs three of Anton Chekhov’s wildest farces collectively known as “33 Swoons” Feb. 25, 26 and March 4-5 at 8 p.m.; and March 5 at 2 p.m. in Porter Theatre (map). Tickets are $5 for students and $10 for adults, and can be purchased by calling (805) 565-7140.

In 1935, Russian director Vsevolod Meyerhold created an evening of three of Chekhov’s plays, “The Proposal,” “The Bear,” and “The Anniversary,” and called them “33 Swoons,” noting that characters “swoon” or suffer fits of fainting 33 times in the plays.

The play is directed by John Blondell, Westmont theater arts professor and artistic director of Lit Moon Theatre Company. “I have been an admirer of Meyerhold for my entire directing career,” Blondell says. “His work has been a constant source of inspiration in the type and kinds of work I do, so when I learned that he had staged these three great farces as part of a Chekhov birthday celebration, I was immediately drawn to the idea of presenting them here at Westmont.

“The plays are wildly funny, have great opportunities for our actors, and frame Chekhov in a manner not normally associated with the reputation of the Russian playwright.”

Chekhov is best known for his masterpieces, “The Seagull,” “The Three Sisters,” “Uncle Vanya” and “The Cherry Orchard.” He also wrote in a variety of dramatic and non-dramatic forms, including short stories, letters, short comedies and dramas, and the large, four-act dramas for which he received his most enduring recognition. The three short plays that comprise “33 Swoons” were written early in his career — “The Proposal” and “The Bear” in 1888, and “The Festivities” in 1891. “They are part of a rich popular theater tradition called vaudeville,” Blondell says, “which was first developed in France, then adopted and adapted in a variety of countries, including the United States and Russia.”

“33 Swoons” features the work of Darcy Scanlin, scenic design, Miller James, costume design, Robert Hamel, lighting design, and Diana Small and Elise Witek, who provide original music.

Blondell, who was named a 2009 Local Hero by the Santa Barbara Independent, has been teaching at Westmont since 1991. His World Shakespeare Festival in Santa Barbara is the first of its kind in the nation and one of only seven in the world. His directing work has been seen in Bulgaria, Scotland, Canada, Poland, Czech Republic, Montenegro, and Macedonia. Blondell earned a doctorate in dramatic art from UC Santa Barbara. He has received six Independent Theatre Awards, a 1994 Robby Award and the 2003 Faculty Research Award from Westmont.

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