The Silver Spring Penguin

Back in the day, there was this cold, bleak place called the Soviet Union.

It was a funny place in a not-so-funny way. The people who lived there were all about equality. Each comrade (as they were called) ate an equally stingy slice of bread, slept in equally cramped apartments, used equally scruffy sheets of toilet paper, and lived equally dismal lives. They all loved this Soviet lifestyle with equal zeal — or at least, that’s what they were supposed to do.

It’s just that this one guy — playwright Mikhail Bulgakov (1891-1940) — wasn’t heavy with the Bolsheviks. He spells this out in “Heart of a Dog”, a novella and play banned in the Soviet Union for 60 years. It rocks Montgomery College’s Black Box Theatre, Takoma Park, through early March.

While some of the political satire may be dated, hypocrisy — and the need to slice and dice it like a potato — never dies. And while the play doesn’t fall into the slapstick category, its physical performances (under the careful direction of Patrick Torres) carry the comedy into the 21st century.

About the play: Scientist Philip Philipovich Preobrajensky (let’s call him Doc) saves Sharik the Dog from a life on Moscow’s brutal streets, only to use him in a bizarre experiment. With a nip here and a tuck there, Doc transforms the dog into a man.

Only this man isn’t like one of those strapping, half-man, half-beast Wolverine types. Instead, the dog becomes Homer Simpson, a belching, farting, inarticulate jackass who turns Doc’s household upside down. Things only get worse when the dog-man learns of his “rights” under the Soviet system. Hilarity ensues.

The actors in this Spooky Action Theater production do a great job at punctuating Bulgakov’s satire. James Gagne is great as the street-wise, road-weary Sharik the Dog, and transitions with skill into the obnoxious Sharikov the Man. Carter Jahncke is hilarious as Doc, who scoffs at Bolshevik hypocrisy before recognizing his own arrogance.

Major kudos also go to Karen Novack and Joshua Singer, both supporting actors who hop from one role to the next without missing a beat. After all, timing is everything in comedy.

The play kicks it on weekends until March 8. Tickets for the general-seating setup run at $15 each.

“Heart of a Dog”, written by Mikhail Bulgakov, directed by Patrick Torres for the Spooky Action Theater Company. Performed at Montgomery College’s Black Box Theatre (Philadelphia and Chicago Ave, Takoma Park).

Photo courtesy of Flickr user Beggs.