Nowadays, only the dead may say what the living think.
Nikolai Erdman
In a New Version by Simon Stone
Simon Stone
Johnny Carr, Gareth Davies, Shelly Lauman, Aaron Orzech, Anne-Louise Sarks and Tom Wren
The world is in the midst of a huge environmental and economic crisis. Semyon Semyonovich can’t find a job and he’s stuck living with his mother-in-law. When, in a heated argument, his wife refuses him a slice of sausage for his midnight snack, it’s the final straw. He disappears naked onto the streets and his wife is convinced he’s off to kill himself. Their opportunistic neighbour sees the chance to make some money and embarks on a scheme to sell off Semyon’s suicide rights to various political lobbyists. The highest bidder will win a handwritten suicide note dedicated to their cause. In anticipation of his sacrifice, the community hosts a party to send him off in style.
A comedy of despair and longing, The Suicide combines high farce and poetic insight. The Hayloft Project follow up their acclaimed seasons of Spring Awakening and The Only Child with this contemporary version of Nikolai Erdman’s 1928 existential comedy.
