Antonio Says, “The Ennui of a Provincial Hamlet.” – front mezz junkies, Theater News

A review of “The Real Ivanov“, an adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s play, Ivanov, by Laura Strausfeld

By Antonio

I love Chekhov…but Chekhov is hard. I had the incredible luck to study with the late, great Stella Adler, who had a rule for her students: “Don’t do Chekhov!“. Adler has said, “The truth of art is the truth of the circumstances in which you are in [the play]- not your own circumstances.” This idea challenged us to look beyond our contemporary lives and view the world through the lens of a Russian citizen living in the country during the end of the 19th century. The comedy and tragedy of Ivanov are revealed in the feeling of being trapped in a small provincial town, where everyone knows your business and constantly judges your every move while your hope for the future has been crushed.

With Laura Strausfeld’s adaptation and direction of The Real Ivanov produced by Initiative Productions,
I feel we have lost the connection to Chekhov’s given circumstances, leaning too heavily on farce, and minimized the deep tragedy. There are some wonderful performances here, but the play floated in the vast, barn-like space of the Lynn F. Angelson Theater, never quite finding solid ground. With this adaptation and new title, I kept expecting some deep truth to be revealed that illuminated who the “real” Ivanov was, but unfortunately, I was left unsatisfied. Although it was edited, the play was faithful to the original, and I am not sure what made this version more “real.” There is already so much reality in the original play: dying from tuberculosis, systemic anti-Semitism, poverty, and deep depression. On top of all that, falling out of love with a woman who gave up her family, her religion, and her inheritance to marry. I wanted the play to further investigate how each moment gave Ivanov the potential to break free, yet he chose to retreat instead of embracing the opportunity to love.

The decision to stage the play in the round, with little to no set, props, or furniture, seemed to burden the actors with unjustified movements and a lack of focus. It made it difficult to find the privacy and intimacy in certain scenes, which would have allowed us to see different facets of these relationships. I did enjoy the moments when Ivanov is temporarily transported outside of the scene—the lights blue and he seems like an astronaut viewing his own world from outer space—and would like more of these psychological explorations of his interior landscape. I was ultimately disappointed by staging the last scene on a long, narrow runner in Lebedev’s house. During this final moment of the play, I think this farcical setup took away from the actors’ and audience’s ability to experience this last act of despair. This staging felt more like a production of “Noises Off” than Chekhov, and it made Ivanov’s final act a response to the chaos instead of a final decision to escape the cruelty and inhumanity of his society.

Although this is a play about the tedium of provincial life, there were some very exciting performances. Amelia Mason’s Sasha was a breath of fresh air. She filled the character with hopes and dreams, finding the humor and the pain in her line, “Nikolai, Let’s run away to America!” Spencer Aste’s delightful portrayal of Lebedev was responsible for keeping this world moving forward. Trying to be a good husband, a good father, a good neighbor, and friend, he hilariously offered up his secret bank accounts to anyone who could make his life easier… so he could get back to drinking. 

Jordan Lage was a craftsman with Count Shabyelsky. The character had lost everything except his title, but Lage found the fun in being a freeloader and still showed softness when dealing with Ivanov’s ill wife, Anna. Finally, Sam Underwood’s Ivanov was very impressive. He had a depth of emotion and embraced the size of true despair. He had such contempt for himself, and I felt he had no escape from his own judgment. Like Hamlet, whom he references a few times, Ivanov longed to take action, but in Chekhov’s world, years pass, and things become so much worse before there is any satisfaction. When Ivanov breaks off his engagement to Sasha, he says, “Our Hamlet playacting is over,” and it felt like the first time he had made a decision to move forward. Underwood played the scene as if he were berating Ophelia with “Get thee to a nunnery,” and I understood he needed to be cruel to save Sasha from the bitterness that has consumed him.

Although this production did not live up to my expectations, I am left with the feeling that we should do MORE Chekhov! I believe Chekhov has endless possibilities to reveal what makes us human, and the potential to foster empathy. I am constantly reminded that perfection is not possible, but the theater must strive for moments that resonate in the world we are living in today. During the final scene, Ivanov repeats, “I am spent.” Through Ivanov, Chekhov reveals the universal experience of living. Whether in the 1890s or the 2020s, our lives need nourishment from our communities, and we must find purpose in our time here on earth. Without the possibility for the pursuit of happiness, our souls are spent with “Useless people, useless talk, and stupid questions.“