Chekhov wrote Ivanov at 27 and never stopped arguing with it, which makes it the least polished and most volatile play in his catalogue — a man collapsing under debt, a dying wife and a younger woman certain she can fix him. Laura Strausfeld, who has spent a career on Chekhov, cuts it to a fast 100 minutes and directs a cast led by Sam Underwood. If you know the late masterpieces and never got to the first one, this is the version to start with.
What to expect
A hundred minutes in a compact East Village house, played at a faster clip than most Chekhov, with an eleven-person cast moving between a country estate and a card-table drawing room. Expect comedy where you might not expect it — the play keeps undercutting its own hero.
Good to know
- L to Third Avenue or 4/5/6 to 14th Street-Union Square; the theater is on East 13th
- Runs about 100 minutes without an intermission
- No Chekhov background needed — the adaptation is built to be followed cold
- The house is intimate, so seats anywhere in the room work
- Good for a weeknight play without a three-hour commitment
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Common questions
Is this a straight translation of Ivanov?
No. It is a new adaptation by Chekhov scholar Laura Strausfeld, who also directs, condensing the play to roughly 100 minutes.
Who stars?
Sam Underwood plays Nikolai Ivanov, with Ivory Aquino as Anna, Amelia Mason as Sasha, Jordan Lage as Count Shabyelsky and others.
Where is the Lynn F. Angelson Theater?
At 136 East 13th Street, Classic Stage Company's home between Third and Fourth Avenues in the East Village.
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