Khanim Aydin. “Money Comedy”
Age restriction: 16+
Playwright: Khanim Aydin (an adaptation of Claude Magnier’s comedy Oscar)
Director: Nijat Mir Kazimov (Honoured Artist)
Set Designer: Telman Shikhiyev
Music: Azer HajiAsgarli
Principal Cast: Anar Seyfullayev, Matlab Abushov, Nurlan Suleymanli, Nasiba Eldarova (Honoured Artist), Kamala Muzaffar (Honoured Artist), Elshan Hajibabayev, Mushfig Elmanoghlu, Mehriban Abdullayeva, Konul Abil, Aygun Fatullayeva, Aydan Hasanzade, Zumrud Guliyeva, Farida Gurbanova, Mehriban Huseynova, Venera Abbasova, Sanan Kazimov, Ilhan Sadigov
Genre: absurdist comedy
Running time:
Act I — 1 hour
Act II — 45 minutes
In Money Comedy, Khanim Aydin’s adaptation of Claude Magnier’s Oscar, Jabish, the head of the company “Jabish Sabunlu”, does not hesitate to keep his earnings off the books in pursuit of greater profits. When his assistant Manfaat discovers this secret source of income, he begins subtly blackmailing his employer and demands to be appointed the company’s commercial director. Manfaat wants to provide every material comfort for the girl from a wealthy family whom he hopes to marry. It later emerges that his beloved is Jabish Sabunlu’s daughter.
The desire to make money and get married sets off a series of twists of fate that place not only Sabunlu but everyone involved in ridiculous situations. In pursuit of wealth and marriage, the characters set traps for one another. Ultimately, both Jabish and those around him lose this tangled family “game”, while the fortune ends up in the hands of complete strangers.
Jabish’s wife Sughra, his daughter Duru, his daughter by his mistress Safiyya, his maid Zargalam and the head of the commercial department Manfaat — in short, all the characters — become participants in the farce. The playwright’s aim is not merely to introduce these characters, but also to convey a message through them. While delighting audiences and lifting their spirits, the production offers a lesson in life: those who cannot be content with a little may lose even what they have. We should seek sincere human feelings rather than wealth acquired through dishonest means.
