Photo by Donika Valeva

The play presents the life of the ordinary Bulgarians at the dawn of the communist takeover. The focus of the play is the way the characters try to pass unnoticed through the commotion that takes place in the country, not the actual result of the turmoil. The comic situations reveal the limited understanding and the problems typical for many Bulgarians at that time.

Another interesting feature of the play is the use of the local vernacular, which is often present in the works of Radichkov. Because of this, it is very difficult to translate the play authentically in English.

The actors amused the audience for an hour and a half. The funny dialogues and lively situations won the public's appreciation. The two Gypsies were among the most liked characters and contributed to the comic side of the play. During the performances, one main story was retold in different ways, including a demonstration by a deaf and dumb character, bringing to light the identity and fears of the others. The story was about a man who was driving a carriage full of fish and was cheated by a fox, pretending to be dead on the road, which eventually "ate all of the fish she could, and threw away the rest."

Theater professor Nedyalko Delchev, director of the play, said the actors worked hard and gave their best. He added Radichkov is one of the most enigmatic Bulgarian authors and his typical use of dialect makes the performance of the play challenging.

"It happened by chance ... [that] each role fitted its actor," said sophomore Hristo Hristov, who played Grigor in the second performance. "We did as well as we expected," he added.

"Everything was amazing tonight," said Yavor Kiryakov, who played Gotsa. Everyone should take an acting class with Delchev, he added.

Although in Bulgarian, the play also attracted a number of international students. "It was difficult to understand the slang, but there was a lot of action in the play and I liked it," sophomore Igor Gurkin, whose native language is Russian, said.