Nadeszda Teffi (real name Lokhvitskaya) was known as the Queen of Laughter and her short stories and plays were extremely popular in the early 20th century Imperial Russia. She was a favorite writer of Tsar Nikolai the Second and often was invited to his palace. Teffi belonged to the old aristocratic family, whose seat was in the town of Tikhvin (near St.Petersburg). Her sister, Mirra Lokhvitskaya, was a well-known poet.

In her life, Nadeszda Teffi met many extraordinary people. One of them was the infamous Gregory Rasputin. Their encounters are depicted by Teffi in one of her books.

The great Russian Revolution of 1917 split Nadeszda's life in half. She left her country, never to return. She could never accept Bolshevism and the changes it brought, so she settled in Paris. Perhaps that's why her humour became tinted with light sadness. She was often compared to Chekhov and possibly exactly for that reason.

Now Teffi's work is slowly but surely coming back to the wider reader and audiences.

With the great help of Teffi Cultural Centre in the town of Tikhvin, our troupe was able to create this project. The Tea House Theatre provided an elegant and somewhat nostalgic setting for the show. Everyone was working with enthusiasm and interest. We hope to play this show many times again, so we can laugh and cry with the unforgettable characters of Nadeszda Teffi.

Performed at The Tea House Theatre, London in May 2019 and Russian Cultural Center, London in June 2019

CAST
Lubov Parkins, Janetta Rajevskaja, Leo Kara, Olga Zakharevskaya, Arina Bokova, Artur Valitov, Oleg Dszabrailov, Natasha Hirom, Lina Kruchkova.