''The Bedbug'' (russian: Клоп, ') is a play by

Vladimir Mayakovsky Vladimir Vladimirovich Mayakovsky (, ; rus, Влади́мир Влади́мирович Маяко́вский, , vlɐˈdʲimʲɪr vlɐˈdʲimʲɪrəvʲɪtɕ məjɪˈkofskʲɪj, Ru-Vladimir Vladimirovich Mayakovsky.ogg, links=y; – 14 Apr ...

written in 1928-1929 and published originally by '' Molodaya Gvardiya'' magazine (Nos. 3 and 4, 1929), then, as a book, by Gosizdat in

1929 This year marked the end of a period known in American history as the Roaring Twenties after the Wall Street Crash of 1929 ushered in a worldwide Great Depression. In the Americas, an agreement was brokered to end the Cristero War, a Catholic ...

. "The faerie comedy in nine pictures", lampooning the type of philistine that emerged with the

New Economic Policy The New Economic Policy (NEP) () was an economic policy of the Soviet Union proposed by Vladimir Lenin in 1921 as a temporary expedient. Lenin characterized the NEP in 1922 as an economic system that would include "a free market and capitalism, ...

in the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

, was premiered in February 1929 at the Meyerhold Theatre with designs by

Alexander Rodchenko Aleksander Mikhailovich Rodchenko (russian: link=no, Алекса́ндр Миха́йлович Ро́дченко; – 3 December 1956) was a Russian and Soviet artist, sculptor, photographer, and graphic designer. He was one of the founders ...

. Received warmly by the audiences, it caused controversy and received harsh treatment in the Soviet press. Unlike its follow-up, ''

The Bathhouse ''The Bathhouse'' (Баня, Banya) is a play by Vladimir Mayakovsky written in 1929, for the Meyerhold Theatre. It was published for the first time in the November, No.11 issue of '' Oktyabr'' magazine and released as a book by Gosizdat in 1930. ...

'' (denounced as ideologically deficient), ''The Bedbug'' was criticised mostly for its alleged 'aesthetic faults'.

Plot

The action of the play begins in 1929 in the U.S.S.R. Ivan Prisypkin is a young man in the age of NEP. On the day of his wedding to Elzevir Davidovna Renaissance, Prisypkin is frozen in a basement. After fifty years, he is revived in a world that looks very different. Around him is an ideal communist world, almost a

utopia A utopia ( ) typically describes an imaginary community or society that possesses highly desirable or nearly perfect qualities for its members. It was coined by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book ''Utopia (book), Utopia'', describing a fictional ...

. There is no more poverty and destitution, illness and natural disasters have been defeated, and people have forgotten about drunkenness, smoking, and swearing. Prisypkin does not belong in this future. He becomes an exhibit at the zoo and serves as an example of the vices of a past age to the citizens of the future. The title of the play comes from a

bed bug Bed bugs are insects from the genus ''Cimex'' that feed on blood, usually at night. Their bites can result in a number of health impacts including skin rashes, psychological effects, and allergic symptoms. Bed bug bites may lead to skin changes ...

which was frozen at the same time as Prisypkin and becomes his companion.

Characters

* Ivan Prisypkin (Pierre Skripkin) - former worker, former party member, fiancé of Elzevir * Zoya Beryozkina - worker * Oleg Bard - landlord * Elzevir Davidovna Renaissance - Prisypkin's fiancée, manicurist, cashier at hair salon * Rosalie Pavlovna Renaissance - mother of Elzevir * David Osipovich Renaissance - father of Elzevir * Usher at wedding * Professor * Director of the Zoo * Chairman of the City Council * Fire Warden * Orator * Workers, Reporters, Crowd, Hunters, Students, Attendants, Firemen

Production

Vsevolod Meyerhold Vsevolod Emilyevich Meyerhold (russian: Всеволод Эмильевич Мейерхольд, translit=Vsévolod Èmíl'evič Mejerchól'd; born german: Karl Kasimir Theodor Meyerhold; 2 February 1940) was a Russian and Soviet theatre ...

directed the production of ''The Bedbug'' at the Meyerhold Theatre, which was preceded by a reading by

Mayakovsky Vladimir Vladimirovich Mayakovsky (, ; rus, Влади́мир Влади́мирович Маяко́вский, , vlɐˈdʲimʲɪr vlɐˈdʲimʲɪrəvʲɪtɕ məjɪˈkofskʲɪj, Ru-Vladimir Vladimirovich Mayakovsky.ogg, links=y; – 14 Apr ...

Incidental music Incidental music is music in a play, television program, radio program, video game, or some other presentation form that is not primarily musical. The term is less frequently applied to film music, with such music being referred to instead as t ...

was composed by

Dmitri Shostakovich Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich, , group=n (9 August 1975) was a Soviet-era Russian composer and pianist who became internationally known after the premiere of his Symphony No. 1 (Shostakovich), First Symphony in 1926 and was regarded throug ...

, who later published a suite of extracts as Op. 19a. The play was recognized as "a significant phenomenon of Soviet drama," called "the Soviet ''Auditor''" and offered a place in the repertoire. The play had been performed publicly for three years.

References

1929 plays Russian plays Plays by Vladimir Mayakovsky {{1920s-play-stub