IN THESE two short plays Brian Friel pays tribute to Anton Chekhov by reimagining some of his characters and themes.

‘The Yalta Game’, as played by Dimitry (Eric Petterson in splendid form) is that of giving fantasy lives to fellow customers at the cafe where he meets Anna (Lydia Longman, trusting but not quite naive) and encourages her to join him in doing the same for themselves, resulting in an ‘affair’ which, though amusing and played tenderly, proves as elusive as happiness itself.

In ‘Afterplay’ it’s good to see Sonya from ‘Uncle Vanya’ and Andrey from ‘Three Sisters’, running across each other in a cheap Moscow cafe years later, enjoying each other’s company, appearing to have moved well past the thankless roles they had in Chekhov’s dramas, but it soon becomes clear that they haven’t been entirely honest, and that each must face past and present realities.

Rubén Sánchez-Garcia is charming and entirely forgiveable as the feckless Andrey, while Maria Head’s Sonya is equally likeable but tougher, determined to cope with her rather lonely and careworn life.

Director Ron Stannard gives us an absorbing and entertaining evening that carries an unexpected emotional impact.

Ham Quentin