Ivanov

Synopsis

First staged at Korsh's Russian Dramatic Theatre, Moscow, in 1887. Set in a country suffering from political, ideological and spiritual stagnation, Chekhov s first full-length play anticipates the explosive revolutionary atmosphere of Russia at the turn of the century. Ivanov, a driving force in local government and a visionary landowner, feels burnt out at thirty-five. Once the pioneer of scientific farming methods and of education for the peasants, he now drowns in bureaucracy and debt, his large estate neglected. While his wife is dying, Sasha, a young, educated woman, falls in love with Ivanov and determines to save him.

Our Review:

17 September 2002

The title character of Anton Chekhov's first performed full-length play Ivanov may be beyond redemption, but the rehabilitation of this previously long neglected play continues apace.

Originally premiered in Moscow in 1887 (when it received only three performances), it didn't reach London until 1925, and wasn't revived again here until 1950. Few productions have followed; but in 1997 the Almeida produced it with Ralph Fiennes in the title role, and later the same year New York's Lincoln Center Theatre did it too, with Kevin Kline. Now, just five years later, here is Chekhov's burnt-out, debt-ridden, lovelorn anti-hero again, with Welsh actor Owen Teale in the title role at the National's Cottesloe.

Katie Mitchell - who directed the best Uncle Vanya in my memory at the Young Vic, and I say that even as I am in eager anticipation for the new Sam Mendes production at the Donmar Warehouse - applies a scalpel-like precision to conveying th...

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Latest User Review

USER: Whatsonstage.com - 14 October 2002:

Excellent acting but am not sure that the play gained anything by this staging which meant that half the time one is confronted by the actors' backs which makes it difficult to hear what they say. Yes, an amazingly real portrayal of boredom and depression, but people who continually tell you how miserable, depressed and bored they are, do become a bit tedious. At the end I felt the tragedy verged into farce, and though I frequently find myself moved to weep at the theatre, this performance left my eyes quite dry....

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