Bed and Sofa

When one day, Kolya's handsome comrade, Volodya, arrives from the country, but can find no lodgings, Kolya offers him their sofa. When Kolya returns early from a business trip, he is shocked to discover that Ludmilla and Volodya have become lovers

Kolya moves out, but there is still nowhere to live, so he reluctantly returns, taking the sofa, leaving Ludmilla and Volodya the bed. Kolya stalls the new couple's lovemaking with endless games of checkers, so that slowly, to Ludmilla's frustration, Volodya becomes more interested in the manly sport of checkers than in sex

Finally, Volodya reveals himself to be just as much a domestic despot as Kolya. So Ludmilla banishes Volodya to the sofa and takes the bed for herself. Ludmilla's "marriage" to the two men has already had its consequence as she is pregnant

The two men bicker over who is the father and finally decree; Ludmilla must have an abortion. Acquiescing, Ludmilla waits her turn in a frighteningly efficient clinic. But seeing a living, breathing baby out the window convinces her to leave, without the procedure

She packs up and abandons her two "husbands," declaring them unworthy to be fathers, and Kolya and Volodya find themselves alone in the close Moscow flat. They have no choice: As Ludmilla rides alone into the exciting unknown, Kolya takes the bed and Volodya the sofa

One of the most acclaimed productions of its season, this enchanting three-character "silent movie opera" based on Abram Room's scandalous 1926 Russian film comedy, premiered at the Vineyard Theatre in New York

It received an Obie award for its composer, Polly Pen (Goblin Market), and seven Drama Desk nominations, including Best Musical

With witty book and lyrics by Laurence Klavan (Freud's House, Sleeping Beauty, Gorgo's Mother)

"A delight! First rate! A classy treat! A new work that both honors the original and gives it a sternly funny stage life of its own" ~ NY Times

"Wonderful! A must see! So perfectly done it is almost unfair to the rackety hacks who infest our musical theater" ~ Village Voice

"Enchanting! Exquisite! A wholly original piece of musical theatre!" ~ NY Newsday