Looking for something to do this weekend? Go check out Vanguard Theatre’s production of Neil Simon’s The Good Doctor.

Performance times are Nov. 8 and 9 at 8 pm and Nov. 10 at 3 pm. The cost of attendance is $5 for students and $10 for adults. The play is held at the Harriet Fulton Performing Arts Theatre in the Fine Arts Building on campus.

The play is about a 19th century Russian writer and the stories he dreams up. It is performed in two acts separated by a ten-minute intermission.

In each act there are skits, which represent the writer’s stories. It is approximately two hours long, and trust me when I say it will make you laugh.

The cast of the play is rather large and talented. One of my favorite performances came from Kevin Shell. He was the Russian writer and appeared in two of the skits. Some other highlights include Ryan Leyhue’s dual role as Cherdyakov, or the Sneezer, and the snobby gentleman.

Christian Ashlar also performed two roles as well. I especially liked his and Maggie Olmstead’s performances in the skit A Defenseless Creature. That skit was, in fact, my favorite skit from the play.

The other cast members are India Simerson, Callie Milam, Stephanie Cutlip, Stephanie Dowell, Adam Lucas, Eric Danz, Courtni Harbin, Orlando D. Brown, Chris James, Lyndsey Coleman, Jeremy Coltharp, Matthew Muehlberger, Jen Christensen, Tori Shaw, John Scott and Karen Saldana. They all did a great job.

Throughout the play, the audience was made to feel like they were part of the action.

Kevin Shell’s character actually spoke directly to the audience most of the time he was on stage.

In fact, during the skit titled The Seduction, he gave tips to the audience. After the play was over, I had a chance to talk to several people from the audience. I asked them what they thought of the performance.

Erica McDonald from Germantown, TN said, “It was good; I loved it.”

Lauren Singleton from Nashville said, “It was very good.” James Church from Martin said, “I think everyone should come out and see it.”

There were also words like “terrific” and “wonderful” floating around the entire theatre.

It is also important to note that the set crew should be commended as well. In my opinion, the set design was very unique. I liked the way it could change so easily from scene to scene without much effort.

The Vanguard Theatre performs one play each semester. The play for next semester is Moliere’s The Imaginary Invalid.

Performance dates are set for Feb 27 and 28 and Mar 1 and 2. For more information about Vanguard productions, call 7740.