On The Evils Of Tobacco is a bittersweet vaudevillian monologue in which a scientific lecture is hijacked by thoughts of domestic and marital misery. This translation reveals Chekhov as a dramatist revelling in the broad comedy of human behaviour, a type of comedy which was refined in his later masterpieces such as The Cherry Orchard, Uncle Vanya and Three Sisters. A highly entertaining half hour with a fascinating insight into Chekhov's development as a playwright. 'I don't much care for theatre but I do enjoy vaudevilles' (Anton Chekhov, circa 1890).