Oh, These Times! at The Understudy

OH, THESE TIMES!, a one-act play written in 1772 by famed Russian empress Catherine the Great. In this satirical comedy where every character lives life in the panic lane and practices the opposite of what they preach, a maid attempts to help her naive lady marry the sweet Mr. Milksop, while dodging her grandmother’s fears of lower class social climbers. From catty gossips to sheltered virgins, no one seems happy with their station –– and their schemes and complaints pile up. Preempting Chekhov’s darkly yearning comedic sense by 100 years, OH, THESE TIMES! is a searing reflection of our modern day social anxieties and the farces we put ourselves through to soothe them.