Chekhov play focuses on complex characters

EAST CALAIS – The Unadilla Theater has produced the well-known plays of Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (1860-1904) many times over its four decades. Currently, it is performing the first play he ever wrote, in 1888, entitled “Ivanov.” The play focuses on a depressed middle aged man, who like many of the Russian aristocracy, is land rich but cash poor, unable to repay his substantial debts.

Chekhov was almost as complex as the fictional characters he created. As he wrote to his publisher, “I feel more confident and satisfied when I reflect that I have two professions and not one. Medicine is my lawful wife and literature is my mistress. When I get tired of one, I spend the night with the other. Though it’s disorderly, it’s not so dull and besides, neither really loses anything through my infidelity” (September 11, 1888). There you get a condensed sample of his wonderful wit, as well as his insight into human nature.

He acquired his medical degree in 1884, but he had been writing short stories to support himself since he was a teenager, many showing him to be an “acute observer of life’s obvious moments and of being deeply responsive to its tragedies,”(Ernest J. Simmons) He did not marry until 1901, and he died at the height of his career in 1904 of tuberculosis, all of which is curiously relevant to his play “Ivanov.”

While Chekhov is justly considered one of the supreme writers of the short story medium, his dramas also place him among the greatest theatre writers, particularly “The Seagull“(1896), “Uncle Vanya” (1897), “Three Sisters” (1901) and “The Cherry Orchard” (1904), all noted for their vivid personalities, psychological depth and empathetic situations, but like Shakespeare, leavening tragedy with gentle humor.

Sam Underwood plays Nikolai Ivanov with consummate skill, always keeping entirely in character as someone who cannot get out of a chronic depression. A regional councilor, a large landowner who was successful in business, formerly cheery in demeanor, now sunken in debt and his wife is dying of tuberculosis.

What is fascinating about the way Chekhov goes about portraying him is mainly through what those around him say, as well as his own admission. But the remarks are quite contradictory and we are puzzled as to who to believe.

Right in the first scene, the steward of Ivanov’s estate, Mikhail Borkin, acted effusive high energy by Tommy Vance, comes in and jokingly points a pistol at Ivanov’s head, asking him for a few rubles to pay some workers, to which Ivanov replies he has no money. This sets up one of the underlying conflicts that drives the drama. The estate manager has all kinds of schemes in raising money, but Ivanov isn’t interested.

Ivanov’s uncle, Count Matvyei Shabyelski, then enters, given a lively interpretation by Clarke Jordan, who is very cynical about everything in a comically blustery manner. He complains about the two professions, lawyers and doctors, but warns that though lawyers may rob you, doctors can kill you. The country doctor attending Ivanov’s wife, Yevgeni Lvov, very convincingly acted by Jesse Cooper, tells Ivanov that he must take her to Crimea right away for a cure, but Ivanov says she won’t go.

Lvov accuses Ivanov that it’s his own behavior that is killing her. His wife, Anna Petrovna, given a fine performance by Sorcha Anderson, appears and asks her husband to stay home this evening with her, but he insists on going to the neighbors, the Lebedevs. He bluntly tells her that when he is in this miserable state, he cannot love her. After he leaves, Doctor Lvov questions Anna why she stays with her husband. She defends him, saying that he was a remarkable man before he fell into his depression.

The scene shifts to the living room of Pavel Lebedev, chairman of the local council and his wife Zinaida Savishna, both well evoked by Chris Hennesy and Cynthia Seckler respectively. Zinaida complains angrily about Ivanov because he owes her 9,000 rubles and can’t pay her back, while Pavel tries to help Ivanov, even offering him money, but fails to solve his problems.

Their daughter, Sacha, ably acted by Amelia Mason, falls in love with Ivanov after his wife dies and has nothing but praise for him, even seeking marriage.

Elements are periodically interjected into this increasingly complicated plot by other figures such as Marfusha Babkina, a widow and rich heiress played well by Jessica Goodlin, who wants to marry Count Matvyei Shabyelski in order to have a title; Kosykh, an excise officer David Klein makes believable, who is constantly boring people talking about his latest card game; and Avotya Nazavovna, described as a woman of no known profession, who Evie Barenberg brings to life. In addition to all their spectrum of opinions on Ivanov’s character coming together, we have his own less than flattering admission of shame at his failures and present condition as a broken man.

Without further following the convoluted interpersonal relationships in this drama, we can stop and see what Chekhov is trying to tell us, namely that we really don’t know our relatives, our close friends, or even ourselves, that we are more alienated than we like to believe. Human nature is deeply contradictory, and Chekhov leaves us unable to be certain what the truth is about Ivanov’s virtues and faults. Perhaps the Ivanov’s character of can be best described by Winston Churchhill’s famous statement about Russia as a whole: “It is a riddle wrapped up in a mystery inside an enigma.” (October, 1939)

Come and see “Ivanov” at the Unadilla Theatre and decide for yourself. Next weekend are the final performances, on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m.

For more information call (802) 456-8968 or go online at Unadilla.org.

David K. Rodgers

David K. Rodgers is a writer, mason and card carrying dilettante, who dabbles and babbles in art. He has lived in East Craftsbury for the past 40 years.