Ivanov

I was lucky enough to see this play on opening night in London's West End, in September 2008. I left the theatre absolutely enchanted by not only the acting, but also by the sheer power and musicality of Stoppard's lines in this reworked translation. Needless to say, I went back to see this play 4 more times before I left London for Moscow.I can't recommend this play enough.

missing half the pages

This is not the complete story

excellent

A great adaptation of Chekhovs first full length play. Thoroughly enjoyed it, a beautifully written piece, with vibrant characters and settings

Although he wrote fiction and non-fiction, Antov Chekhov (1860-1904) is best known as Russia’s most celebrated playwright, creating more than a dozen plays between about 1881 and his death in 1904. He is especially remembered for THE SEAGULL, UNCLE VANYA, THE THREE SISTERS, and THE CHERRY ORCHARD. Although it is not as well known, the 1887 IVANOV has also enjoyed wide popularity.Set in rural Russia about 1880, like most of Chekhov’s plays IVANOV concerns the erosion of the Russian aristocracy and the rise of an uncouth, uneducated middle class. The play is written in four acts, with an intermission usually given between the second and third acts, and each act displaying a different scene. The cast requires six men, four women, and additional actors to play friends, guests, and servants.The play describes the life of Nikolai Ivanov, a minor government official. He no longer loves his wife, Sarah, and the fact that she is dying of consumption does not move him; he has, however, fallen in love with a much younger woman, Sasha, who lives nearby. To complicate the matter, he owes considerable money to Sasha’s family—money he is unable to repay. He is frustrated by the members of his household, who include a remarkably impertinent servant, an obnoxiously self-righteous doctor, and a penniless count. He has fallen into a deep depression fueled by local gossip about his treatment of his wife, and the result is an intensifying drama that ends with a sudden explosion. Throughout the play, the importance of the characters and their crises are indirectly compared to the trivia of card games, with which one of the characters is ridiculously obsessed.Chekov is frequently noted for the dreamy quality of his plays, but even by his own standards IVANOV is very loosely constructed. To me, it read as slightly bombastic and rather preachy, and I didn’t find it in the same league as his later works. Recommended, but only for those who are reading the author in depth.GFT, Amazon ReviewerIn Memory of Jackie Wilson

I received this play, and I finally got around to opening it up and it’s missing half the script. In the middle of page 25 it just cuts off

Anton Chekhov is one of the greatest play writes of the last two centuries, and this is one of my favorites of his. A must read for anyone who loves plays and especially for any actors looking for some challenging workshop scenes.