ARDAVAZT THEATRE COMPANY’S NEW PRODUCTION OF BARONIAN’S CLASSIC DRAWS CROWDS

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Monday March 22, 2010

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.