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Fools (play)
View on WikipediaFools is a comic fable by Neil Simon, set in the small village of Kulyenchikov, Ukraine, during the late 19th century.[1] The story follows Leon Steponovich Tolchinsky, a schoolteacher who takes a new job educating Sophia, the daughter of Dr. Zubritsky and his wife, Lenya. Leon soon learns that there is a curse on the village that makes everyone stupid, but complications ensue when Leon falls in love with his pupil.
Production
[edit]Under the title The Curse of Kulyenchikov, the play had its tryout at the Schubert Theatre in Boston from February 23, 1981 to March 21, 1981.[2] With the exception of Gordon Davidson as director, the major cast and production team for the tryout were the same as described for the Broadway opening below.[3]
With the revised title of Fools, the play premiered on Broadway at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre on April 6, 1981 and closed on May 9, 1981 after 40 performances. Directed by Mike Nichols, the cast included John Rubinstein, Harold Gould, Richard B. Shull, Florence Stanley, and Pamela Reed. The scenery was by John Lee Beatty, costumes by Patricia Zipprodt, lighting by Tharon Musser and music by John Rubinstein.[4][5]
The play allegedly was written as the result of an agreement Simon made with his wife during their divorce proceedings. She was promised the profits of his next play, so he attempted to write something that never would last on Broadway.[6]
Adaptations
[edit]The play was adapted as a stage musical in 1984 titled The Curse of Kulyenchikov, with book and music by Peter Melnick, lyrics by Pat Pattison, and direction by Paul Warner. It ran in April to May 1984 at the Old Library at Leverett House, at Harvard University.[7]
With the permission of Simon, the play was adapted into another musical in 1990, this time with the title Kulyenchikov. It was produced in San Jose, California in November of that year. The revised libretto, and original music and lyrics were by San Francisco Bay Area playwright/composer Ted Kopulos.[8] In addition to the score of 14 songs, an additional character was created - Alexei, Leon's con-artist uncle, who acted as an inadvertent love interest for Yenchna and demonstrated how even the smartest of con men can be beaten at their own game by the stupidest of villagers.
Synopsis
[edit]Act One
[edit]Leon Tolchinsky, an ambitious young schoolteacher, arrives in the Ukrainian village of Kulyenchikov in order to educate a doctor's daughter, Sophia Zubritsky. Upon arrival, Leon meets several of the locals: Snetsky the shepherd, Mishkin the postman, Slovitch the butcher, and Yenchna the vendor. All of them seem rather unintelligent and hold tedious and confusing conversations. Leon makes his way to the Zubritsky home, finding Dr. and Mrs. Zubritsky to be similarly dimwitted.
Leon soon learns that the town's idiocy is the result of a curse: 200 years ago, the son of sorcerer Vladimir Yousekevitch fell in love with Sophia's ancestor, but her scholarly father married her to another man when he learned that the boy was illiterate. After his son committed suicide, Vladimir cursed the townspeople and their descendants to live as fools, forever trapped in Kulyenchikov. The curse can only be broken if Leon is able to educate Sophia, or if she marries a Yousekevitch. Count Gregor, the last surviving Yousekevitch, proposes to Sophia twice a day, but she continually rejects his offers.
Leon is introduced to Sophia and is immediately lovestruck. He asks her a few simple questions, but she responds idiotically. Nevertheless, Leon resolves to break the curse, especially after he learns that those cursed are incapable of love. Count Gregor arrives for his evening marriage proposal, and Leon confronts him. Count Gregor warns Leon that if he can't educate Sophia within 24 hours of his arrival in Kulyenchikov, he must either leave the village or fall victim to the curse himself. Leon meets with Sophia again, and she affirms her desire to be able to love him. Leon promises that she will love him the next day.
Act Two
[edit]The next morning, with one hour left to break the curse, Leon arrives at the Zubritsky home, eager to educate Sophia. He attempts and fails to teach her elementary mathematics, and the lesson soon spirals into a debate: Sophia tries to ask Leon questions to get to know him better, but he stubbornly insists on imparting her with knowledge, believing that students are not meant to ask questions, only answer them. As the deadline looms, Sophia urges Leon to leave Kulyenchikov before he too is cursed, but he resolves to stay with her. The magistrate announces that it is 9 o'clock, and Leon turns into a fool. The townspeople, who have gathered outside in hopes of seeing the curse broken, leave disappointed.
Once Leon and Sophia are alone, he reveals to her that he was merely pretending - the curse had no effect on him. Leon believes that the curse is actually a psychological phenomenon which came about because the villagers have always been told they are stupid. He tells Sophia that he has a plan. Count Gregor enters, lamenting his villainous reputation. Leon convinces Gregor that he could be better liked if he adopted him and let him marry Sophia. This would break the curse in the eyes of the townspeople, as Sophia would technically be wed to a Yousekevitch. Count Gregor agrees, and Leon and Sophia are set to be wed. At the last minute, Count Gregor reveals that he tricked Leon into signing divorce papers instead, and forces Dr. Zubritsky to let him marry Sophia.
Leon, in a flash of inspiration, asks Mishkin the postman for his urgent letter, which has been mentioned throughout the play. Leon reads that his uncle has died in debt, despite his attempts to escape it by changing his name. When asked what his uncle's real name was, Leon replies "Yousekevitch", meaning that he is distantly related to the Count and thus can still break the curse by marrying Sophia. Leon reveals to the audience that the letter was actually a bill from his college in Moscow. However, the townspeople fall for the trick. Leon and Sophia are wed, and the "curse" of Kulyenchikov is broken.
After the wedding, we learn the fate of all the characters. The Magistrate became a great judge, but fell into corruption and eventually was convicted for fraud. Mishkin wrote a six-hundred page novel on the Curse of Kulyenchikov, only to have it lost in the mail. Slovitch bought four butcher shops in a town that only needed one and went bankrupt within a month, thus confirming his fear that he is a fool even without the curse. Snetsky found his sheep, and eventually became a great philanthropist. Yenchna went into real estate and now owns seventeen houses in Kulyenchikov, including Count Gregor's mansion. Lenya Zubritsky went into politics, becoming the first female mayor of Kulyenchikov, and now even her husband has to make appointments to see her. Dr. Zubritsky got accepted into a school of medicine and interior design, became an esteemed doctor and now works for the Royal Family. Count Gregor renounced his bad ways and became the town monk. Leon continues to teach, and Sophia happily bore their child and teaches Leon lessons of life.
Characters
[edit]- Leon Steponovitch Tolchinsky - the protagonist, a young schoolteacher who is sent to Kulyenchikov to teach Sophia. Breaks the fourth wall to narrate the story.
- Sophia Irena Elenya Zubritsky - Daughter of Dr. Nikolai and Lenya and love interest to Leon.
- Gregor Mikhailovitch Breznofsky Fyodor Yousekevitch ("Count Gregor") - the antagonist, the last descendant of Vladimir Yousekevitch who cursed Kulyenchikov with idiocy 200 years ago.
- Dr. Nikolai Zubritsky - Father of Sophia and husband of Lenya. Kulyenchikov's doctor.
- Lenya Zubritsky - Mother of Sophia and wife of Dr. Nikolai.
- Something-Something Snetsky - A shepherd known as “the sheep loser”.
- Mishkin - A young postman.
- Slovitch - An animal-loving butcher.
- Yenchna - A sweet but forgetful vendor.
- Magistrate - Timid judicial officer.
Reception
[edit]In his review for The New York Times, Frank Rich wrote: "As one watches Mr. Simon, the director Mike Nichols and a topflight cast struggle to puff up this show, a feeling of unreality sets in. It's as if a team of brilliant high-priced surgeons has been assembled to operate on a splinter. While Mr. Simon has come up with a few funny moments, there are only so many jokes that anyone can make about stupidity. Once we learn that the town peddler sells flowers as whitefish, that the town doctor can't read his own eye chart and that the town shepherd can't find his sheep, there's an inevitability about every punch line."[4]
References
[edit]- ^ "Fools (Neil Simon)". Samuel French, Inc. Retrieved January 5, 2015.
- ^ "Ad for play's tryout". The Boston Globe. February 15, 1981. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
- ^ Clay, Carolyn (March 10, 1981). "Why Did the Moron Buy Tickets to 'Kulyenchikov'?". The Boston Phoenix. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
- ^ a b Rich, Frank (April 7, 1981). "Theater Review. 'Fools' by Simon'". The New York Times.
- ^ Simon, Neil. "Contents. Production" Fools (1981) (google.books), Samuel French, Inc., ISBN 0-573-60877-6, pp 2-5
- ^ Blankenship, Bill (November 4, 2011). "WRHS gets silly with Neil Simon's 'Fools'". Topeka Capital-Journal. Retrieved November 5, 2014.
- ^ O'Connor, John P. "Village Idiots" The Crimson, April 24, 1984
- ^ ""Kulyenchikov" - Music and Lyrics by Ted Kopulos". ted.to - Ted Kopulos. n.d. Retrieved November 5, 2014.
External links
[edit]
Fools (play)
View on GrokipediaBackground
Development
Neil Simon developed Fools during the late 1970s and into early 1981, representing a notable departure from his characteristic urban New York City comedies—such as The Odd Couple and Barefoot in the Park—toward a whimsical fairy-tale narrative set in the fictional Ukrainian village of Kulyenchikov, infused with elements from Jewish folklore like the legendary town of Chelm, renowned for its comically inept inhabitants.[4] The script's initial working title, The Curse of Kulyenchikov, underscored the supernatural curse of stupidity that serves as the central plot device, dooming the villagers and their descendants to perpetual foolishness.[5] Simon completed the initial draft by early 1981, after which the play underwent out-of-town tryouts in February 1981 at the Shubert Theatre in Boston, Massachusetts; during this phase, he actively revised the work, including rewriting 15 pages amid the Boston run, and the production saw a directorial change from Gordon Davidson to Mike Nichols.[6]Premise and Themes
Fools is a comedic fable set in the fictional Ukrainian village of Kulyenchikov in 1893, where the entire community has been afflicted by a curse of perpetual stupidity since 1693. This curse originated when Count Vladimir Yousekevitch, a sorcerer, placed a spell on the town after his illiterate son's suicide following rejection in a romantic pursuit.[7][8] The central premise revolves around the arrival of a young teacher, Leon Tolchinsky, whose intellect and budding romance threaten to upend the village's stagnant, foolish harmony, challenging the entrenched cycle of ignorance.[9][10] The play delves into themes of folly versus wisdom, portraying stupidity not merely as a supernatural affliction but as a self-perpetuating societal condition reinforced by isolation, superstition, and limited exposure to new ideas. Simon satirizes small-town ignorance and the comforting illusion of bliss in unthinking conformity, contrasting it with the disruptive potential of education and self-awareness.[10] Central to the narrative is the redemptive power of love, which serves as a catalyst for breaking free from intellectual and emotional stagnation, emphasizing how romantic connection can foster genuine insight amid comedic absurdity.[9][10] Through farce and physical comedy, Simon illustrates how stupidity sustains itself via deceptive appearances and habitual misunderstandings, yet punctuates the humor with poignant moments that reveal the characters' underlying capacity for wisdom and growth. This blend underscores the play's critique of how communities cling to folly, while highlighting love's role in transcending it.[10][11]Production History
Original Production
The original production of Fools began with a pre-Broadway tryout under the working title The Curse of Kulyenchikov at the Shubert Theatre in Boston, running from February 23 to March 21, 1981.[12] During this engagement, Neil Simon implemented revisions to the script, which prompted a title change to Fools prior to its New York transfer. Fools opened on Broadway at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre on April 6, 1981, under the direction of Mike Nichols.[2] The production featured scenic design by John Lee Beatty, costume design by Patricia Zipprodt, and lighting design by Tharon Musser.[13] It concluded its limited run on May 9, 1981, after 14 previews and 40 performances.[2] Despite the pedigree of director Mike Nichols and star John Rubinstein in the lead role, the engagement grossed modestly at the box office, aligning with its planned short duration.Revivals and Subsequent Productions
Following its brief Broadway run, Fools found a niche in regional and community theaters across the United States during the 1980s, where productions often highlighted the play's farcical elements through ensemble-driven comedy suitable for smaller venues.[14] These early revivals emphasized the script's accessible humor and large cast requirements, making it popular for amateur groups despite limited documentation of specific stagings.[14] The play continued to thrive in educational settings, with high school productions underscoring its youth-oriented ensemble humor. In October 2019, JSerra Catholic High School in San Juan Capistrano, California, mounted a production that showcased the comedic interplay among student performers, drawing on the script's lighthearted curse motif to engage young audiences.[15] That same year, a musical-infused staging at the Open Fist Theatre Company in Los Angeles blended Neil Simon's original script with added songs by Phil Swann and Ron West, transforming the farce into a tuneful adaptation while retaining the core narrative of village stupidity.[3] More recent academic revivals have maintained the play's witty appeal. The Corban University Theatre Department in Salem, Oregon, presented Fools from November 14 to 24, 2024, earning praise for its sharp delivery of Simon's dialogue and the cast's handling of the ensemble's absurd dynamics in a university context.[16] In March 2025, Olympic Theatre Arts in Sequim, Washington, staged a professional revival directed by Steve Fisher, which accentuated Simon's satirical edge through fast-paced physical comedy and character-driven folly, running successfully at the local level.[17] While Fools has not seen major international tours or large-scale professional revivals, its popularity persists in amateur, community, and educational theaters due to the play's large cast, comedic accessibility, and minimal scenic demands.[18] Representative examples include high school productions at Mark Keppel High School in Alhambra, California, in October 2024, and Laguna Hills High School in November 2023, both leveraging the script's ensemble roles for student involvement.[19][20]Synopsis
Act One
The play opens in the Ukrainian village of Kulyenchikov around 1890, where Leon Tolchinsky, a young and optimistic schoolteacher, arrives eager to take up a position tutoring the daughter of the local doctor.[21] Immediately upon entering the town, Leon encounters its residents' profound stupidity, a symptom of a centuries-old curse, as exemplified by the postman Mishkin, who hoards undelivered mail in his pockets, and the butcher Slovitch, who sells fish as flowers and provides nonsensical directions.[21] These interactions establish the curse's pervasive effects, turning everyday tasks into bungled farces, such as a vendor attempting to sweep dust back into houses or a shepherd misplacing his flock while claiming to guard it.[1] Leon's growing frustration mounts as the villagers' circular logic and absurd behaviors— like milking cows upside down—defy his rational worldview, highlighting the comedic chaos of the cursed community.[22] Seeking directions to Dr. Zubritsky's home, Leon finally arrives and meets the doctor and his wife, who urgently hire him to educate their daughter Sophia within 24 hours to break the family-specific aspect of the curse, warning that failure will result in his exile from the village.[21] The Zubritskys reveal the curse's origin: in 1691, Rabbi Yousekevitch's son Casimir, betrothed to a Zubritsky girl, committed suicide after eloping with another, prompting the rabbi to invoke a sorcerer's spell dooming the town and the Zubritsky lineage to perpetual stupidity unless the daughter marries a Yousekevitch descendant.[21] This introduces the antagonist, Count Gregor Yousekevitch, the last of his line, who seeks Sophia's hand to perpetuate the curse for his own gain, though he has not yet appeared on stage.[22] Leon meets Sophia for the first time and is instantly smitten, despite her childlike demeanor—she has only recently learned to sit down and struggles with basic concepts under the curse's influence.[1] Their initial interactions blend budding romance with comedy, as Leon attempts simple lessons that devolve into mishaps, like Sophia confusing words or actions, yet they share a spontaneous kiss, igniting Leon's determination to tutor her and defy the curse's romantic prohibitions.[21] Amid these scenes, the Zubritskys' household adds to the humor through Dr. Zubritsky's botched eye examination on Leon, using upside-down charts and illogical diagnoses, further underscoring the town's folly.[22] As Act One concludes, Leon commits to the impossible task, unaware that prolonged exposure to the village risks afflicting him with the same stupidity.[1]Act Two
In Act Two, Leon arrives at the Zubritsky home at 8 a.m., desperately attempting to tutor Sophia in basic concepts like arithmetic within the remaining hour before the curse claims his intelligence at 9 a.m., as per the 24-hour deadline established upon his arrival in Kulyenchikov.[23] Despite his frantic efforts, Sophia's persistent dim-wittedness thwarts progress, leading Leon to feign stupidity once the Magistrate announces the hour, mimicking the villagers' confusion during an interrogation by Dr. Zubritsky to avoid banishment and remain in the village.[23] Alone with Sophia afterward, Leon reveals his intellect remains intact and explains that the curse persists only through collective belief; he then proposes marriage for the following day and persuades the greedy Count Gregor to "adopt" him, ostensibly creating the required union between Zubritsky and Yousekevitch bloodlines to lift the spell.[23] The scheme escalates when Leon forges a letter purportedly from the village's historical figure Mishkin, falsely claiming Count Gregor's true heritage as a descendant of the Yousekevitch line, tricking Gregor into believing the adoption will secure his claim to Sophia's dowry and thus willingly participating in the ritual to end the curse.[23] At the wedding ceremony, tensions peak in a climactic confrontation as Gregor exposes the adoption as fraudulent and attempts to seize Sophia for himself, but Leon's declaration of love for her, combined with the forged letter's deception, triggers a thunderclap—symbolizing the sorcerer's magic breaking—restoring full intelligence to the villagers and nullifying the curse invoked by Rabbi Yousekevitch in 1691.[23] In the resolution, Leon and Sophia marry as the now-enlightened townspeople exuberantly demonstrate their recovered wits through rapid-fire discussions of mathematics, politics, and geography, though their sudden wisdom ironically sparks new comedic chaos, such as overanalyzing mundane tasks like sweeping or bartering.[23] Leon addresses the audience directly, revealing the ironic reversal of the curse: while it once doomed Kulyenchikov to perpetual stupidity due to the historical betrayal of the elopement, love and a clever ruse have not only freed the village but ensured prosperous futures, including Gregor's genuine inheritance and the doctor's successful practice.[23]Characters and Cast
Principal Characters
Leon Tolchinsky is the intelligent and optimistic schoolteacher from Kiev, serving as the protagonist who employs wit and romance to challenge the village's longstanding curse. He is characterized by his determination, open-hearted nature, and impatience with the limitations imposed on the townsfolk, positioning him as an outsider eager to educate and uplift the community.[24][22] Sophia Zubritsky, the naive and beautiful daughter of the village doctor, embodies innocence affected by the curse, which hinders her education and intellect, though she demonstrates potential for insight and breakthrough in relationships. Her role highlights the personal toll of the curse on younger generations, making her central to themes of hope and transformation within the story.[24][22] Count Gregor, the arrogant and scheming last heir of the Yousekevitch family, acts as the primary antagonist who enforces the curse's persistence through his authoritative and self-serving demeanor. Intelligent at times but tied to the village's superstitious traditions, he represents opposition to change and prioritizes control over the community's fate.[24] Dr. Nikolai Zubritsky, Sophia's father and the bumbling village doctor, exemplifies the cursed ineptitude that afflicts the residents, with his supportive yet limited perspective on family and town matters. Slightly more astute than some villagers, he functions as a paternal figure concerned with his daughter's well-being amid the collective foolishness.[24][22] Lenya Zubritsky, Sophia's mother and the doctor's excitable wife, shares in the familial foolishness, often focusing on matchmaking and meddlesome involvement in village affairs. Her traits underscore the domestic impacts of the curse, portraying her as invested in happiness for her family despite her dim-witted tendencies.[24] The supporting villagers further illustrate the curse's broad effects on daily life and professions. Mishkin, the clueless postman, embodies confusion in communication tasks. Slovitch, the inept butcher, questions the town's inherent lack of intelligence through his own persistent dimness. Snetsky, the dim shepherd, struggles with basic self-awareness, such as knowing his full name. Yenchna, the gossipy street vendor, mixes up everyday objects in her interactions. The Magistrate, an ineffective elderly official, represents bureaucratic futility in overseeing village proceedings. These characters collectively depict how the curse manifests in incompetence across various roles, reinforcing the play's comedic exploration of folly.[24]Original Broadway Cast
The original Broadway production of Fools premiered on April 6, 1981, at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre under the direction of Mike Nichols, with incidental music composed and performed by John Rubinstein.[2][13] The cast featured a mix of established comedic actors whose timing supported the play's farce elements.[9]| Role | Actor |
|---|---|
| Leon Tolchinsky | John Rubinstein |
| Sophia Zubritsky | Pamela Reed |
| Dr. Nikolai Zubritsky | Harold Gould |
| Lenya Zubritsky | Mary Louise Wilson |
| Count Gregor Yousekevitch | Richard B. Shull |
| Yenchna | Florence Stanley |
| Snetsky | Gerald Hiken |
| Mishkin | Joseph Leon |
| Slovitch | David Lipman |
| Magistrate | Fred Stuthman |