Tag: Anton Chekhov

I am pretty sure that Anton Chekhov never imagined an entire evening of five of his short plays, some which he subtitled ‘a joke’ or ‘a vaudeville.’ He did not write them to make up an evening.

Very often the first question audiences have upon walking into a Richard Nelson production is, “what’s up with all those hanging microphones?”

Little Comedies, thanks to Richard’s trust in the actors, in the plays, and in you, our audience, is determined to give us both: A great show and a beautiful simplicity in performance, design and concept.

I am pretty sure that Anton Chekhov never imagined an entire evening of five of his short plays, some which he subtitled ‘a joke’ or ‘a vaudeville.’ He did not write them to make up an evening.

Sometime around 2003, I picked up a copy of what I had known as The Devils, but here had the title of Demons. This was the first translation I read by the translating team (and married couple), Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky. Almost immediately I ‘heard’ the voice of another Dostoevsky, one totally human, subtle, alive, and at times very funny.

In the world of literature, there's nothing quite like the subtlety of humor. While comedy has evolved over the centuries, some voices, like Anton Chekhov's, stand out for their uniqueness. Behind his works lie characters and narratives that challenge the norms of laughter. His comedy uses subtlety, tragicomedy, and the mundane.

If you're a theatre fan, you've probably heard the name Anton Chekhov tossed around like confetti...