Ivanov: Funny, Intimate, and Relevant

“A theater in a cafe?” were my first perplexed thoughts when I arrived at the Classical Stage Company for the performance of Ivanov. The theater was nowhere near as extravagant as the Metropolitan Opera House, Brooklyn Academy of Music, or Carnegie Hall, yet its homeyness and intimacy are precisely what made me like it so much. My worries over the biology and chemistry exams scheduled for the days immediately following the performance were soon forgotten as I became thoroughly wrapped up in and enraptured by the play.

Of all the performances we’d seen, this was my favorite. It was down to earth and felt personal. Quite the opposite of other performances, I was able to see the facial expressions and gestures of the actors, and was thus a more involved audience member than with other performances where I felt removed, such as the Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall performances.

The character I related to most was Ivanov, however I felt that Ethan Hawke could have done a better job playing the role. I relate to the idea of a person losing their ambition very much. As a person who was once much more ambitious and internally motivated, I understand the feeling of a loss of purpose. Though the period of my life where I felt this way has ended, I was still able to relate to the play as I remembered a time when I felt suddenly utterly useless. Hawke, however, did not make me pity Ivanov or relate to him as much as I should have. He was too exaggerated and made me dislike rather than sympathize with Ivanov. He was not more annoying than the doctor however, who I thoroughly despised by the end of the play for his overly-pompous self-righteous attitude. “If all goes well and I become a doctor,” I remember thinking, “I hope I’m not as conceited and stuck up as he is.”

My favorite actor hands down was the tall young card-player. His interjections kept me interested in the play as they provided a sort of comic relief. Lebedev came in second, with his character providing just the right amount of laughter and entertainment.

For me, the most important aspect of any performance is its level of entertainment, followed by its relevance to my life. As a play that both thoroughly entertained me and presented a them I relate to, Ivanov was a clear winner.