Kimberly Franck and Joe Schlotter/Photo: Bryan Cohen

I once took someone who had never seen Chekhov to a production of “Uncle Vanya” and afterwards asked them what they thought. Through laughter, they told me, “So they’re like a bunch of self-absorbed, hyper-articulate narcissists who don’t realize how tragically funny they are—it’s like ‘Seinfeld’.” He was right. But the thing about Chekhov’s characters is that they also have great inner lives—no matter how stilted—and through intellect or emotion (or comedy) ironically exude a great appreciation for living, so much so that watching a good “Vanya,” like any great production of Chekhov, makes you want to do more with your own life the moment you step foot outside the theater. That may or may not be achievable but, to paraphrase Harold Bloom on the subject, good Chekhov makes you want to at least try. The self-absorbed and bland characters in “Chekhov Kegstand,” author Bryan Cohen’s “irreverent take on ‘Uncle Vanya’” at Gorilla Tango Theatre, inspire zilch, even as they sit around and blabber about missed chances here, lost opportunities there and spouting whatever banalities on college life Cohen feels deserves the “Chekhovian” treatment. Read the rest of this entry »

Photo: Viktor Vassiliev

RECOMMENDED

It’s easy for Chicagoans to take great ensemble acting for granted. After all, we get it in abundance thanks to the Steppenwolf Theatre Company. But in reality, you could count on one hand the number of great theatrical acting ensembles in the world, and among them surely is the Maly Drama Theatre of St. Petersburg. On par with seeing Moliére done by the Comédie-Française in Paris, or Strindberg performed by the Dramaten (Stockholm’s Royal Dramatic Theatre), the prospect of experiencing an authentic Russian-language production of Chekhov’s “Uncle Vanya” by the Maly ensemble is one of those rare theatergoing opportunities that doesn’t come around too often. Read the rest of this entry »

Tim Curtis, Shannon Hoag/Photo: Chris Ocken

RECOMMENDED

Director Kimberly Senior knows Chekhov. Over the past five years, this veteran Chicago director has developed a profound affinity for the plays of the great chronicler of aristocratic angst at the turn of nineteenth-century Russia, and showcased some of her finest work through her intimate, ensemble-rich and emotionally-devastating renderings of “Three Sisters” and “The Cherry Orchard” (the former remains of the most perceptive versions of that play I have ever seen).  If her “Uncle Vanya,” now at at Strawdog Theatre, isn’t as moving as those other two productions, it is nevertheless a worthy contribution to Senior and Strawdog’s continuing exploration into the playwright’s canon, and confirms that a Chekhov play directed by Senior is still cause for celebration. Read the rest of this entry »

Here’s the press release from the Goodman:

MARY ZIMMERMAN REIMAGINES BERNSTEIN’S CANDIDE IN A MAJOR FALL MUSICAL EVENT;
ROBERT FALLS RE-EXAMINES CHEKHOV’S THE SEAGULL; PLUS NEW WORKS BY SARAH RUHL,
REGINA TAYLOR AND THOMAS BRADSHAW HEADLINE GOODMAN THEATRE’S 2010/2011 SEASON

***THE GOODMAN CELEBRATES A DECADE OF ACHIEVEMENTS AS ANCHOR OF THE NORTH LOOP

THEATRE DISTRICT, STARTING WITH A SEPT. 27 EVENT AT THE ART INSTITUTE’S MODERN WING*** Read the rest of this entry »

RECOMMENDED

So, it’s Chekhov and people are “bored;” bored with their unfulfilled lives and their provincial neighbors. But thanks to some skilled performances, “Ivanov” isn’t boring; it’s a humorous tragedy about unrealized dreams.

Nikolai Ivanov (Jeremy Fisher) is a bankrupt landowner who wallows in his failed aspirations. His tubercular wife Anna (Cyd Blakewell) remains faithful to her husband, even when he abandons her nightly to seek brighter society at the Lyebedev home with their lovely daughter Alexandra (Sue Redman).

The first act is muddled by exposition, but the second is a hoot and the third a powder keg. Fisher captures Ivanov’s desolation; his pain is genuine and heartfelt. Blakewell’s Anna is heartbreaking; she allows her blind belief in her husband to be her undoing. Redman’s attempts to spark life into her prospective lover are amusing and frustrating. Thanks to Sheldon Patinkin’s astute direction, the ensemble handles Chekhov’s abrupt mood swings with aplomb. (Lisa Buscani)

“Ivanov,” SiNNERMAN Ensemble, 3111 N. Western, (773)296-6024, through November 7.

Mary O’Dowd and Jared Fernley/Photo: Craig Choma

I was entertained by playwright Rebecca Lenkiewicz’s “The Night Season,” a British play now receiving its Chicago premiere at Vitalist Theatre. But, to be honest, the tale of three sisters living, loving and longing through life’s vicissitudes moved me more when it was told by Chekhov and called “The Three Sisters.”  I certainly laughed much more when the comedic clash between rural small-town Irish folks and Hollywood moviemakers was explored by playwright Marie Jones and her “Stones in his Pockets.” And I definitely felt an emotional connection for a beleaguered clan of Irish romantics haunted by bittersweet memories when those characters inhabited a play called “Dancing at Lughnasa” and their author was Brian Friel.

Comparisons between a playwright’s sophomore effort (“The Night Season” was Lenkiewicz’s second major play produced in London) and Chekhov may indeed be odious, as they say, but Lenkiewicz seems to have done everything to encourage it. Read the rest of this entry »

Here’s the press release from Saint Sebastian Players:

“A COLLECTION OF COLLECTIONS”

SAINT SEBASTIAN PLAYERS ANNOUNCE 29TH SEASON

CHICAGO—A collection of monologues, a collection of Chekhov short plays and a collection of nuns make up the Saint Sebastian Players’ 29th season, as well as the company’s annual Monologue Matchup Competition fundraiser. Read the rest of this entry »

Here’s the press release from Strawdog: (Updated August 4, 2009)

STRAWDOG THEATRE COMPANY ANNOUNCES
22ND ANNIVERSARY SEASON THEMED “Why We Fight”

Strawdog Theatre Company of Chicago announces their 22nd anniversary season of presenting “the whole wide world in a little black box,” with the three mainstage plays focusing on the theme of “why we fight”:  the Midwest premiere of Matt Pepper’s St. Crispin’s Day, Curt Columbus’ translation of Anton Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya and David Harrower’s translation of Bertolt Brecht’s The Good Soul of Szechuan. The productions run Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 4 and 8 p.m., and Sunday at 7 p.m.

These productions, plus ongoing late night offerings, are presented at Strawdog’s space in the heart of Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood at 3829 N. Broadway Street. Adult single ticket prices are $20 (single gala night tickets are $40 each, closing night tickets are $30 each); preview tickets are $10, student and senior tickets are $15 (with ID); and $15 tickets are available for groups of ten or more.  Season flex-passes are $50 for three admissions and $100 for six admissions, benefit performances count as two admissions. (All benefit performances include post-show reception with refreshments). Admission for Strawdog Late Night programming starts at $5 and varies for visiting artists. Tickets are available at 773.528.9696 and www.strawdog.org Read the rest of this entry »

Frank Galati (center) and the cast of Steppenwolf Theatre Company’s production of The Tempest/Photo: Michael Brosilow

By Dennis Polkow

No.  Shakespeare. Ever.  Despite Steppenwolf being the oldest ensemble theater in Chicago, there has curiously been no Shakespeare performed by the company across its nearly thirty-five-year existence.  Until now, that is, with the staging of the Bard’s last play, “The Tempest.”  Why the long drought in the first place, and why end it now?

“Ever since I’ve been in the ensemble,” says Tina Landau, Steppenwolf ensemble member since 1997, who is directing “The Tempest” and is upstairs during a company dinner break two hours before the first preview of the show, “many ensemble members have been longing to do Shakespeare.  Five years ago, I pitched ‘The Tempest’ as one of three plays that I most wanted to do and through a confluence of the right timing and the right season—particularly with this year’s overall theme of the imagination—it finally all came together.” Read the rest of this entry »

Here is the release from Chicago Shakespeare Theater:

Chicago Shakespeare Theater Announces
A Season of Ruthless Love and Undying Ambition
Charming Villains and Feuding Lovers Fill the Stage
Affordable Access a Hallmark of the Season

Chicago—March 30, 2009—Chicago Shakespeare Theater (CST) Artistic Director Barbara Gaines and
Executive Director Criss Henderson announced today the series lineup of productions, with new affordable access opportunities, for the 2009/10 Season. “Villains and lovers make for compelling storytelling, and this year–from Shakespeare’s beguiling hunchback and fiery fiancées, to Chekhov’s restless lovers and Coward’s dueling divorcées–they’re out in force,” said Barbara Gaines. “These great characters of dramatic literature will tread the boards with tales of human endeavor and folly, provoking thought and laughter in equal measure.” A three-play subscription series of classics, renowned artists from around the world and productions for the entire family set the stage for Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s tenth season on Navy Pier.  Read the rest of this entry »