Since 1980, the AGBU Ardavazt Theatre Company has been making us all laugh and forget our worries for hours at a time, and Sunday, March 31, 2003 was no exception. The Organization of Istanbul Armenians sponsored the evening and filled nearly 200 seats of the AGBU Alex Manoogian Center in Pasadena. This time it was to enjoy Ardavazt's rendition of Ray Cooney's "Run For Your Wife" play, translated and brilliantly directed by the ever-so talented Krikor Satamian.

"Run For Your Wife" takes place in two homes – one in Glendale, the other in Pasadena. Cab driver Haygaz Zakarian (superbly portrayed by Alex Khordishian) has been injured and is taken to his worried wife in Glendale, Arpik (Maro Ajemian) by Sergeant Tom (Varujan Varjabedian). Meanwhile, his second wife Tamar (Sosi Varjabedian) impatiently waits for him in his second home, just 15 minutes away in Pasadena. Throw in two neighbors from the different homes, Sahag (Krikor Satamian) and Jirig (Armen Kerasimian), another police officer Sergeant Porter (Rupen Harmandyan), and a pushy newspaper photographer, and you have the ingredients for the crazy mistaken identity, name calling, innuendoes to follow in this rib ticking farce.

Director Krikor Satamian creates the two homes with different colored pink and green walls to convey the two separate playing areas. His direction of the opening pacing and pandemonium of both wives is brilliant and creates the necessary illusion of pulling off this comedy. Satamian has once again cast the right people in the show and their performances are a reflection of his outstanding direction. Tons of laughter greets them during the show. Satamian's excellence still shines through after doing theatre for over 20 years!

Alex Khordishian plays the demanding role of Haygaz Zakarian. He is continuously running on and off the stage thinking up new lies to meet each situation he meets as a result of his bigamy. Possibly his funniest scene is when he eats the newspaper article that has his and Arpik's photo in it. Haygaz grabs the paper several times from Tamar's hand and finally ends up eating it. The bandage and bruise on his forehead throughout is especially comical and his overall performance creates much laughter.

Sosi Varjabedian and Maro Ajemian expertly play the two wives. Their acting is literally poetry in motion. The beginning pacing is perfect and the line delivery matches it. Arpik is the more reserved wife until she pops some pills and starts calling people names. Tamar plays the sexier wife, constantly in a negligee. Her attacking Haygaz and dragging him into the bedroom are hysterical as are her scenes with the gay upstairs neighbor, Jirig. Haygaz says Tamar is a transvestite called "Yerchanig" and says Arpik is a nun. Both women handle their roles superbly and maintain them throughout.

Rupen Harmandyan and Varujan Varjabedian play the two detectives. Both men handle their straight-laced roles extremely well. Sergeant Porter's expression is hysterical as he describes his wife as "sarsapeli" and his own pet name as "nazik." It is used several times during the play by different characters. Sergeant Tom handles his role well too especially when he calls Haygaz and his neighbor Sahag a couple of "fruits." Both detectives are funny in this farce.

However, the two biggest scene-stealers in the show are Krikor Satamian as Sahag and Armen Kerasimian as Jirig. Satamian has possibly the best lines in the play and he delivers them to their utmost, as always. His facial expressions and line delivery are excellent especially when he's being accused of being gay and of being Haygaz's lover. His interaction with all the other characters is right on the dot! Kerasimian's portrayal of Jirig, the gay neighbor, is hysterical from start to finish. He flits in and out of each scene prancing perfectly and displaying flaming movements at all times with his gestures and his walk. Great job!

"Run For Your Wife" relies a great deal on mistaken identity for its humor. Before the end of the evening, all seven characters are mistaken for someone they are definitely not. Ardavazt and Satamian have done it yet again!