The Nose: Molière Version

By Bedrettin Simsek

A comedy in two acts.
It is a thematic development rather than an adaptation based on Ukrainian writer Gogol's short stories "The Nose", "The Overcoat" and "The Carriage", which are combined into a single comic play with an erotic touch, in which the fall of the Nose is accompanied by the collapse of the Russian aristocracy during the 1917 revolution, and many Russian figures such as Lenin, Rasputin, Gogol, Pushkin and others are mentioned in the work.
It is called "Moliere's version" because it is the closest, most similar in writing style to Moliere's comedy ever written in the history of the theater. In this play, Bedrettin has twisted Moliere's classical style with the modern, dreamlike and surreal style of American filmmaker David Lynch to create a comedy based on a distorted reality, or in other words, on the nightmarish renditions of reality, which is something very "Lynchian".

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bedrettin Şimşek
• Release date: Jun 29, 2023
• ISBN: 9786259903934

Book preview

Bedrettin Simsek

The Nose

Molière Version

ISBN: 9786259903934

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Table of contents

Bedrettin's Plays

Characters in the Play

ACT 1

Scene 1

Scene 2

Scene 3

Scene 4

Scene 5

Scene 6

Scene 7

Scene 8

Scene 9

Scene 10

ACT 2

Scene 1

Scene 2

Scene 3

Scene 4

Scene 5

Contact

Bedrettin Simsek was a promising writer when his first two books were published by major Turkish publishers in 1996 and 1997. His combination of philosophy, humor, and literature set him apart from other writers, and he stood out for his skeptical attitude toward religion. When his third book, The Discussions of an Atheist and a Clergyman was published in 1998 by one of Turkey's leading publishers, he was sued over complaints and both he and the publisher were sentenced to prison terms for insulting religious values. This sentence was suspended on the condition that he would not commit the same offense again and was noted in his record. His conviction made Bedrettin a criminal forever. All publishing houses closed their doors to him; he was excluded from the literary world. However, he had not given up his attitude of questioning beliefs. His later works were always rejected by publishers, some for fear of punishment, others for fear of the reader's reaction. He had to publish his own works; but these books, which did not find a distributor, did not reach the reader. The author's last book, published by his own means in 2014, also remained unsold. The author has been under an undeclared ban for two decades.

Bedrettin's Plays

MARQUIS DE SADE'S STRATAGEM OF LOVE

A two-act comedy for at least five actors (2m, 3f) based on the short story " The Stratagem of Love" by the Marquis de Sade.

Almost all the lines, plot, intrigues and characters except Villeblanche were created by the author. So much so that the play does not contradict the style of the Marquis de Sade, either literally or intellectually.

It is a comedy that recalls Molière, but with a Sadean taste. A woman disguised as a man is a typical Shakespearean theme. Bedrettin brought this theme into the work with the same sense of humor.

The characteristics of the play include the use of double entendre, cross-dressing, comic love scenes, physical seduction, cynicism and other forms of daring language.

There are no sets or props in the play except for chairs. Therefore, it has a low cost and is suitable for touring.

For those who want to rediscover classic comedy with a modern touch.

THE EXPULSION OF ADAM AND EVE FROM HEAVEN ACCORDING TO THE DEVIL

(Two-Act Comedy)

How true is what we know about Adam and Eve, the world's most famous couple? When and by whom was this extraordinary creation story first told? Was it a rehearsal in which God tested the obedience of his servants, or is there really much more to this legend? Or was the story of Adam and Eve actually a conspiracy of God in which the devil played only a part?

We do not know, because even as described in the holy books, this myth seems to be incomplete, since the role of the devil is not fully explained.

But now for the first time, in this comedy, which can only be compared to the Gospel of Judas, the Devil, always blamed and never allowed to defend himself, reveals the secrets by telling the truth from his own perspective and leads us to discover the lost essence of the myth. He also confesses why and how he made Eve give Adam the forbidden fruit.

A different and ironic take on the world's oldest story, which tells us about the devil's hidden life in a satirical tone, the play is not only profound but also funny, with intelligent, witty angels and an Eve who wonders why everything happens and asks questions.

For those who miss true comedy of intellectual value in the theater.

THE DIVINE COMEDY/ PARADISE

A two-act comedy for at least seven actors, The Divine Comedy/Paradise is one of the funniest plays ever written, as divine as Dante's Divine Comedy and as diabolical as Goethe's Faust.

Only this time, the man seduces the devil, not the other way around.

The play, which includes music and dance, is like a comic version of Dante's Divine Comedy, satirizing the ridiculous situations people find themselves in in order to enter heaven after they die.

Although written in simple colloquial language, the play is in the style of a Moliere comedy, flavored with Shakespearean taste, not only for making intrigue the basis of its fiction, but also for using clever exchanges and witty replies in its context. The charm of the Devil's lively repartee will surprisingly remind you of Oscar Wilde's comedies.

The play uses a bold technique based on incongruous situations and a comic structure enriched by the juxtaposition of contrasting elements. It's basically putting two things together that don't normally go together. The comedy comes from the contradiction of what the audience sees and hears.

THE DIVINE COMEDY/ INFERNO

Comedy in two-act set in hell.

It is a funny version of Dante's Inferno.

THE PHILOSOPHER BEAR OR PHILOSOPHY FOR KIDS

It is an alternative fun play for families that combines philosophy and life through theater, showing children how to question, think independently and reason, preparing them for real life. Although the comedy seems to be for children, it appeals to children of all ages and even more to parents. The plot is very simple. The dialogues are witty and reminiscent of Oscar Wilde's stories, with profound meanings for the philosophy behind them. The play requires seven actors, one of whom is a child.

THE HAIR or THE ODDITIES OF LOVE

It is a two-act absurd comedy -not only verbally, but also visually- whose plot can be summarized as funny variations on a theme from the short story " La Chevelure" by Maupassant, and is about fetishism with an exciting and provocative comic structure that keeps the audience's interest awake at all times. It's written in a very logical and clever style, so much so that the more absurd the play is, the more sense it makes.

It requires three actors, one of whom is a woman, with no set other than a removable antique desk. This makes it an inexpensive play, easy to stage and suitable for touring.

About " The Hair or The Strangeness of Love: In a hidden panel of an antique piece of furniture, a man discovers a long braid of hair. And the contemplation of this head of hair drives him mad. Do spirits really come back to inhabit the forms they left in this world? Or is it we who give life to these forms?

THE GREAT COMEDY: POLITICS AND RELIGION

(Two-Play Comedy)

The comedy consists of two plays, 'The Tricks of a Politician' and 'The Discussions between an Atheist and a Priest'. One is performed as the first show and the other as the second.

Each play can also be performed alone..

Play 1/ THE TRICKS OF A POLITICIAN

In this play of at least four people, there are only chairs and a table if available as decor. Therefore, it has a low cost and is suitable for touring.

A brilliantly written political comedy in the tone of the famous British series 'Yes Minister'. The play is about a Machiavellian politician pulling tricks to defeat all his opponents and come to high positions. Like 'Yes Minister', it satirises today's world of politics and economics.

Play 2/ DISCUSSIONS BETWEEN AN ATHEIST AND A PRIEST

It is an unconventional one-act play for two male actors about death and other issues that concern people all over the world.

In this comedy, Bedrettin ironically brings to the stage the intellectual conflict between a dying atheist and a priest. The dying patient has believed in God all his life and lives according to his religion. But the things he experiences shake his faith in God and religion, and he becomes an atheist before his death. Between the atheist living his last days and the clergyman who tries to dissuade him from his thoughts, a discussion begins that daringly satirizes all our beliefs about God, life after death, heaven, hell, death, justice, etc., with many clever exchanges and witty replies. Especially for audiences who miss the smart humor in the theater.

A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM ( Bedrettin’s Version)

(Two-Act Comedy)

Written by Shakespeare and Developed by Bedrettin..

The interpretation of A Midsummer Night's Dream takes a different approach to the essence of the original text, introducing several changes and rebuilding the play around a kind of fantasy based on strange realities such as déjà vu and disjunctive cognition, a bizarre phenomenon in dreams first identified by psychoanalyst Mark Blechner in which the dreamer recognizes the identity of a character even though the appearance does not match the identity.

Some dialogue has been moved to be used in more appropriate situations. Some dialog has been condensed to make it shorter, more concise, witty, and functional. New lines have been added to better define the characters, intensify the conflict, and increase the dose of comedy. The plot has also been developed by adding more intrigue, more mischief, more magic and more humor. Always within the framework, the theme has been enriched with surprising variations. Visual and verbal elements related to dreams, love, marriage, etc. have been added to the subtext to make the play a multi-layered comedy more suitable for modern audiences.

How to stage A Midsummer Night's Dream (Bedrettin’s Version)

A Midsummer Night's Dream (Bedrettin's Version) is not an adaptation, but a thematic development that takes up the theme with a contrasting approach. It is therefore an alternative to Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, less poetic but funnier, with more conflicts, contradictions and intrigues than the original due to the hilarious