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PRESS RELEASE
Friday, March 19, 2010
Over 2,500 Attend Ardavazt Theatre Company’s New Production of
Baronian’s "The Perils of Politeness"
The AGBU Ardavazt Theatre Company presented a new two-act production of
the immortal satirist Hagop Baronian’s "Kaghakavarutian Vnasnere" (The
Perils of Politeness), which was originally written as a prose piece and
published serially in "Khigar" monthly of Constantinople from 1886 to
1888. This enduring satire by Baronian (1843-1891) pokes fun at the
undesirable manners and mores of all classes of society in
Constantinople: bourgeois mentality, depravity, base flattery, and
nouveau riche behavior. However, since these human foibles manifest
themselves even today, the play’s popularity has not diminished at all,
despite the passage of almost over 125 years.
Skillfully dramatized by Krikor Satamian and directed by John Samuelian,
this production involving 28 talented actors and actresses ran on
Saturday and Sunday evenings from November 21 to December 20, 2009, with
ten performances at the AGBU Alex Manoogian Center in Pasadena, drawing
enthusiastic audiences that numbered more than 2,500 in total.
Subsequently, acceding to the request of the AGBU Saturday School of
Orange County, Ardavazt gave a repeat performance on January 24, 2010 at
the Ghougassian Hall of the Forty Martyrs Apostolic Church, to the
delight of more than 240 attendees, most of whom stayed on to enjoy a
delicious meal with the theater cast. This was followed by the impromptu
rendition of humorous anecdotes, readings, and skits by members of the
group, beginning with producer-director Krikor Satamian himself.
Ardavazt’s production of "The Perils of Politeness," which coincided
with the group’s 30th anniversary, invariably drew rave reviews in all
sectors of the Los Angeles Armenian press. In "’The Perils of
Politeness’: The Theater’s Lasting Gain" (Nor Or, December 10, 2009),
Vache Semerjian writes: "Ardavazt’s production is a first-class
success." In "AGBU’s Ardavazt Theatre Company Successfully Presented
‘The Perils of Politeness’" (Asbarez, December 18, 2009), Kevork
Bedigian writes: "The transformation of this satirical series to a
two-act play with two main characters [Melidos Aga and Kamig Aga] is
most commendable." In "The Perils of Politeness" (Nor Hayastan, December
11, 2009), Vahan Vahanian writes: "Our ‘The Perils of Politeness’
constituted a successful play owing to the outstanding acting of the
cast." In "The Presentation of Hagop Baronian’s ‘The Perils of
Politeness’" (Nor Gyank, December 10, 2009), Krikor Shenian writes:
"Krikor Satamian’s superiority lies in his ability to get the 28 actors
and actresses to play their roles in concert with him." In "Safe Path
for ‘Perils’" (Asbarez, December 14, 2009), Aram Kouyoumdjian writes:
"The revival of an Armenian classic is always welcome, and this
particular revival was probably overdue."
As reported by Dr. A. Kazanjian in "Thanks for the Presentation of ‘The
Perils of Politeness’" (Massis, November 28, 2009), the following are a
few of the comments made by individuals after seeing "The Perils of
Politeness": "We laughed steadily and to our heart’s content for an hour
or two"; "We enjoyed ourselves continually, forgetting our worries";
"Believe me, Hagop Baronian cheered us up for a couple of hours."
Followers of Ardavazt Theatre Company are now looking forward to its
upcoming production of one-act satires by Moliere and Feydeau.
Established in 1906, AGBU () is the world’s largest
non-profit Armenian organization. Headquartered in New York City, AGBU
preserves and promotes the Armenian identity and heritage through
educational, cultural and humanitarian program, annually touching the
lives of some 400,000 Armenians around the world.
For more information about AGBU and its worldwide programs, please visit