Nelida Nassar  07.04.2026

Lebanon is in great need of laughter and comedy. Happily, one of my favorite Anton Chekhov short plays, ‘The Bear’ (or sometimes ‘The Boar’), opened at the Monnot Theatre, which, against all odds, keeps theatre alive in this city in the face of war and destruction. The Monnot welcomes also amateur theatre actors and directors that Homemade Theater happens to be.

The “Bear” is a witty piece comes in at under an hour, showing that small things can be perfectly formed. The comedic and even farcical elements in Chekhov’s writing, actually a blend of deep sorrow and wild, physical comedy, lie at the heart of the Russian playwright’s genius.

The text is translated to Arabic Lebanese language and adapted to the current situation in Lebanon by Dimitri Melki. It tells the story of a widow, Madame Laure, who has kept herself housebound mourning for an undeserving husband. One day her solitude is disrupted by the arrival of Toubia Bou Chahine, a forthright and crusty landowner who has come to collect a debt from her deceased husband. What ensues is a witty and energetic battle of wills and of the sexes that will get you thinking!

Traditionally, Russian actors perform Chekhov with a reckless emotionalism that borders on the neurasthenic. While I admire that approach, it would be wrong to say this is the only way to present Chekhov: it is right for some actors at certain moments in time. The Lebanese adaptation got me to thinking that the play not only yields potential new meaning with each new production but that the performance reflects its cultural surrounding in this instance the Lebanese one with its hyperbolic expressions.

Dostoyevsky once said that he pushed things to extremes where other people went only halfway: something of that same spirit is evident in Chekhov. In my experience, the best productions invest him with a vernacular sense of irony and an awareness that his characters, while tragic to themselves, are often comic when viewed objectively.

Laure is played with some poise and humour by Maysa Yaafoury and Toubia Bou Chahine by Chris Ghafary. Bou Chahine is not the easiest role to play because he initially comes across as a bear with no manners. What Ghafary does not master is showing his character’s weaknesses, desperation and motivation. Flitting between them and acting as a go-between is Paola Moutran as the maid Malvina (in place of the butler in the original script).

This threesome is only moderately successful, because they avoid naturalness in favor of an almost screaming histrionics, ill-suited to Chekhov’s humorous but subtle text. The stage direction, too, is heavy-handed. The setting, a cumbersome Victorian interior sprinkled with surrealist visual elements is lacking in style and elegance.

Yet, some members of the audience were delighted, as I am sure you may be, if you like short plays that pack a punch. For this critic, the acting was poor, despite the hard work and passion that almost certainly went into the production. All the same, I urge you to get a ticket for the last two nights of this run so you can support the efforts to present this play!

Monnot Theatre until 5 July 2026
https://theatrelemonnot.com

Adaptation: Dimitri Melki

Cast
Maysa Yaafoury
Chris Ghafary
Paula Moutra

Direction: Chady Habr

Creative Team
Ali Baydoun: Associate Director and Sound Execution
Toufic Al Safawi: Lighting Design
Chris Gafary: Media and Production Management
Rachel Hourany: Public Relations
Sandy Chaya: Makeup
Ahmad Attieh: Graphic Design
Homemade Theater: Production