Chekhovian Themes Get Simonized

If Neil Simon and Anton Chekhov had a baby. . . .

It sounds like the setup for a literary joke, and in a way that’s what “The Good Doctor” was when it opened on Broadway in 1973. A collection of sketches--mostly comic--that Simon adapted from stories or other jottings by Chekhov, the finished product ended up looking a lot more like one parent--Simon--than the other.

This impression hasn’t changed over the years. At the Pasadena Playhouse, under the generally astute direction of Stephanie Shroyer, “The Good Doctor” still refers less to the Russian doctor-turned-playwright than to the American playwright who is nicknamed “Doc.”

Simon, who acknowledged that he began writing the little plays within “The Good Doctor” as an exercise, hardly turned out his best work here. But the bite-size scale of the individual pieces means that if one of them isn’t particularly tasty, there is always hope that the next one might be better.

Or, at least, that’s the theory. In fact, “The Good Doctor” starts well, but the second act is a disappointment.

The proceedings are hosted here by Harry Groener as “The Writer,” dressed like Chekhov but sounding a lot like Simon. Groener has all of the dapper charm required for this task and also demonstrates ample versatility as he enters the larger ensemble to take roles in some of the playlets.

The rest of the ensemble initially appears in “The Sneeze,” the sad but funny tale of a lowly bureaucrat’s anguished encounter with a superior, as both men attend a play with their wives. Time Winters plays the poor cluck, his features stretched to the limit by rampant neuroses triggered by an innocent sneeze, while Raye Birk glowers well as the impatient boss.

Two women take center stage in “The Governess,” in which a domineering matron (Michael Learned) goes to outrageous lengths to teach her governess (Marita Geraghty) to assert herself. This one carries a suggestion of feelings left unexpressed, which helps sustain the dramatic tension.

“Surgery” is, essentially, a vaudeville routine about an untrained dentist (Groener) and his long-suffering patient (Birk). The two men pull out all the stops with the physical comedy, and they get their laughs.

To vary the pace, the next item is a sentimental musical scene between an aging man (Birk) and woman (Learned) in a park. They sing their thoughts. Let’s just say this is no “Send in the Clowns.” The title, “Too Late for Happiness,” says it all.

The final scene of the first act rebounds well. “The Seduction” cleverly illustrates how a would-be rake (Groener) tempts a married woman (Geraghty), using her unwitting husband (Winters) as the go-between. The ending offers a welcome surprise.

It’s refreshing to see three people in “The Seduction” after three two-handers in a row. Simon is quoted in the program saying he prefers larger ensembles to two characters or even four, which makes the preponderance of duets in the first act a little perplexing.

The second act begins with its best sketch: “The Drowned Man,” a wry little conversation between a desperate tramp (Winters) and a gentleman (Groener) that echoes vaudeville rhythms, like the earlier “Surgery” but in a lower key. Next up, “The Audition” serves only to remind us that Chekhov wrote much better plays than this one.

“A Defenseless Creature,” about a woman of questionable sanity who bullies her way into a cash outlay from a bank officer, comes off as strained, perhaps because Learned is miscast as a volcanically crazy woman, but also because the writing is labored and long-winded.

“The Arrangement,” about a kindly father (Groener) who tries to introduce his 19-year-old son (Winters) to sex by hiring a prostitute (Geraghty), is predictable, although Winters is amusing as he squirms and fidgets. We’re supposed to believe this is a story about Chekhov and his own father, but if you read far enough into the program, you learn that it’s not. Simon made up the whole tale, with no contribution from Chekhov. One wonders if Chekhov would approve of this effort by his self-appointed collaborator.

Peter Link’s incidental music attempts to suggest both Russia and Broadway, but the mix is no more successful than in the play as a whole. Most of Gary Wissmann’s set is appropriately flexible, but what’s with the fake-looking Greek proscenium?

*

* “The Good Doctor,” Pasadena Playhouse, 39 S. El Molino Ave. Tuesdays-Fridays, 8 p.m.; Saturdays, 5 and 9 p.m.; Sundays, 2 and 7 p.m. Ends Aug. 20. $15-$42.50. (800) 233-3123. Running time: 2 hours, 45 minutes.

With Harry Groener, Michael Learned, Raye Birk, Marita Geraghty, Time Winters

Written by Neil Simon. Directed by Stephanie Shroyer. Set by Gary Wissmann. Costumes by Dana Rebecca Woods. Lighting by Michael Gilliam. Sound by Stafford M. Floyd. Hair, wigs and makeup by Judi Lewin. Production stage manager Jill Johnson Gold.