"Young People" by Rodion Beletsky, summary

Rodion Beletsky’s play "Young People" is a chamber comedy of situations that explores the dynamics of male friendship and the transformation of bachelor habits when confronted with a woman’s will. Written in the genre of a contemporary domestic drama, the work focuses on the infantilism of adult men and the paradoxes of romantic relationships unfolding in the confines of a city apartment.

Act One: A Night Search and an Unexpected Guest

The action begins at night in Vasya’s apartment, where three old friends are sitting around a set table: Vasya, the master of the house, Zhenya, the womanizer, and the shy Dimochka. Vodka and snacks are on the table, creating the atmosphere of a typical men’s get-together. Vasya, whose wife is temporarily absent, and Zhenya try to find female companionship for the evening by searching through their contacts. Their dialogue is filled with irony and mutual ribbing: Vasya unsuccessfully searches for the phone number of a certain girl "with eyes," but remembers that she married a murderer, and Zhenya boasts of mythical adventures, which Vasya immediately exposes as lies.

Dimochka, who recently broke up with his girlfriend, Lenochka, acts as a moralist, urging his friends to calm down and just have a drink. However, Zhenya and Vasya persist, demanding Dimochka hand over his address book. After a playful argument and accusations of ingratitude (the friends remind Dimochka of the sweatpants he gave them as a child and a book by Schopenhauer), Dimochka gives in. In his address book, the friends find the crossed-out number of a certain Katya. Vasya and Zhenya immediately theorize that Katya is a prostitute whose number Dimochka crossed out out of remorse. Despite Dimochka’s protests and anger, who eventually goes to sleep in the next room, the friends decide to call the number they found.

Zhenya takes charge of the negotiations. A girl picks up the phone and agrees to come to Tushino, at number 9 Geroev Panfilovtsev Street, to "read books" in the company of intelligent young men. The friends rejoice, but are immediately confronted with a financial issue: they are certain the girl is a prostitute and begin counting their cash. Vasya is willing to sacrifice the money he had set aside for a television, provided he goes first.

Soon, Katya appears — a tall, tastefully dressed girl. Zhenya and Vasya greet her with shots of vodka, but she refuses. The friends behave in a casual manner, hinting at payment and a "session," which Katya takes ironically, playing along. Vasya tries to show her to the bedroom, but Zhenya cunningly locks his friend in the room and secludes himself with his guest. A moment later, Zhenya crawls out of the bedroom on all fours, clutching his head: he was hit with an iron tray that Vasya had hung on the wall for decoration.

The situation changes dramatically. Katya shows her passport, which reveals she’s under eighteen (she’s two weeks away from turning 18) and that her father is a police major. She threatens to have her friends jailed for child molestation and blackmail. Vasya and Zhenya panic. Katya takes command: she forces them to stand still, lie on the floor, and even sing the song "I Remember a Wonderful Moment."

A sleepy Dimochka, wearing boxer shorts, emerges from the commotion. It turns out he and Katya know each other: she fell in love with him after seeing him in the window and persistently sought a meeting, while Dimochka avoided her advances. Katya accuses Dimochka of sending his boorish friends after her. She issues an ultimatum: either Dimochka marries her, or his friends will go to jail. Dimochka tries to resist, claiming he prefers modest women, not commanders in skirts, but under pressure from his friends, who fear prosecution, and from Katya herself, he gives in. The scene ends with Dimochka and Katya kissing, while Vasya enviously discusses the permissiveness of women.

Act II: Domestic Slavery and Rebellion

Some time later, the events shift to Katya’s apartment. Dimochka appears in a completely new light: wearing an apron, holding a vacuum cleaner and iron, he’s busy with housework while listening to the television. Zhenya and Vasya come to visit. Vasya’s head is bandaged, the result of a conflict with his wife, who kicked him out of the house. His friends catch Dimochka ironing and begin to mock his henpecked status, acting out a scene of two gossiping housewives discussing the TV series "Santa Barbara."

Dimochka tries to defend his lifestyle, claiming he’s happily married, but his friends quickly expose him. Zhenya gives him a bra "too big for him to grow into," and Vasya gives him a heavy dumbbell, hinting at his lost masculinity. Under pressure from his friends, Dimochka admits he’s tired of Katya’s total control, who decides everything for him, even buying him a printer instead of the skis he coveted. He declares he’s ready to rebel.

At that moment, Katya returns. Dimochka, egged on by his friends hiding behind the curtain, tries to show his resolve: he refuses the chocolate bar, is rude, and declares that his friends will come over whenever they want. Katya, maintaining an outward calm, issues an ultimatum and leaves, supposedly to see her mother, saying as a parting shot, "You’re celebrating too soon."

Left alone, the men celebrate their "liberation." Dimochka demonstratively drinks vodka, lights a cigarette, and calls his old friend Lyuba, arranging a meeting. He changes into cowboy boots and a hat, declaring himself "Billy the Kid." The friends prepare to go out for a night of fun, but discover the front door is locked from the outside and the keys are missing.

Panic mounts. Vasya assumes Katya has gone to the police to report them as burglars. An attempt to break down the iron door ends in failure, and Vasya suffers a minor concussion. The situation is further exacerbated by a phone call: a male voice introduces himself as Major Kobelin, the duty officer, and asks who is in the apartment. The friends are certain a patrol has been dispatched to pick them up.

Through the window, they see a police van pull up and officers enter the building. Bracing themselves for the worst, the trio decides to face their fate with dignity, though their ideas of dignity differ: Vasya wants to defend himself with an iron, while Zhenya suggests simply sitting on chairs. Dimochka, bolstered by alcohol, rushes into battle with a dumbbell in his hands.

At the most tense moment, the door opens, and Katya enters, fully equipped for skiing. It turns out she bought Dimochka the skis he’d been dreaming of, and the whole situation with the police was a prank: the police had come to the neighbor’s birthday party, and the "major’s" call was a joke. Moreover, Katya had managed to stop by Vasya’s wife’s house and resolve their domestic dispute by returning the house keys to Vasya.

Dimochka, shocked by this turn of events and the gift, finally melts. He realizes that Katya truly loves him and cares for him, albeit in her own peculiar way. The conflict is resolved, the friends are forgiven. At the play’s conclusion, Zhenya and Vasya, watching the couple kiss, once again begin the familiar romance: "I remember a wondrous moment, when you appeared before me. Like a fleeting vision, like a genius of pure beauty…"