Shaw vs Chekhov at the Tabard Theatre
Double bill explores themes of love and social convention
The production pairs an anti-romantic “comedietta” from Shaw with Chekhov’s satirical one-act on marriage negotiations . Picture: Theatre at the Tabard
July 31, 2025
Two sharp-witted plays explore the absurdities of courtship, class, and communication in this double bill featuring Bernard Shaw’s Village Wooing and Anton Chekhov’s The Proposal.
Presented by SHAW2020, which had a sell-out run of Mrs. Warren’s Profession at the Tabard last year, the production pairs an anti-romantic “comedietta” from Shaw with Chekhov’s satirical one-act on marriage negotiations.
In Village Wooing, two characters—known only as A and Z—engage in a battle of words and wills, shifting between flirtation and frustration. The Proposal, meanwhile, delivers a fast-paced comedy of manners, as a suitor’s well-meaning proposal spirals into argument and farce.
The programme draws attention to the ways both playwrights tackled themes of love and social convention, offering insight into their differing—yet intersecting—views on human relationships.
Directed by Jonas Cemm, the plays feature performances from Joe Sargent, Maryann O’Brien, and Anthony Wise.
SHAW2020 explores the theatre and writings of Bernard Shaw, bringing his works to a wider, more diverse audience.
Dame Judi Dench says, “It’s wonderful to see Shaw’s plays being kept alive, and to such a high standard by SHAW2020. Long may they continue.”
The production runs from 6 August to 23 August.
Tickets can be booked online and cost £24.50 or £21.50 for concessions.
Home at Seven - 2–20 September
Theatre at the Tabard is at 2 Bath Road, Chiswick (W4 1LW).
Like Reading Articles Like This? Help Us Produce More This site remains committed to providing local community news and public interest journalism. Articles such as the one above are integral to what we do. We aim to feature as much as possible on local societies, charities based in the area, fundraising efforts by residents, community-based initiatives and even helping people find missing pets. We’ve always done that and won’t be changing, in fact we’d like to do more. However, the readership that these stories generates is often below that needed to cover the cost of producing them. Our financial resources are limited and the local media environment is intensely competitive so there is a constraint on what we can do. We are therefore asking our readers to consider offering financial support to these efforts. Any money given will help support community and public interest news and the expansion of our coverage in this area. A suggested monthly payment is £8 but we would be grateful for any amount for instance if you think this site offers the equivalent value of a subscription to a daily printed newspaper you may wish to consider £20 per month. If neither of these amounts is suitable for you then contact info@neighbournet.com and we can set up an alternative. All payments are made through a secure web site. One-off donations are also appreciated. Choose The Amount You Wish To Contribute. If you do support us in this way we’d be interested to hear what kind of articles you would like to see more of on the site – send your suggestions to the editor. For businesses we offer the chance to be a corporate sponsor of community content on the site. For £30 plus VAT per month you will be the designated sponsor of at least one article a month with your logo appearing if supplied. If there is a specific community group or initiative you’d like to support we can make sure your sponsorship is featured on related content for a one off payment of £50 plus VAT. All payments are made through a secure web site. |