Entertainment :: Theatre
Ivanov by Joseph Erbentraut
EDGE ContributorMonday Oct 5, 2009 When any theater company decides to take on a Chekhov, they face any number of undeniable challenges. In addition to the demands of extensive costuming, diligent research and attentive casting, the degree to which a theater troupe is able to make a century-plus-year-old work resonate with a modern-day audience serves as a clear measure of their talents. Put lightly, it’s a pretty major undertaking.
Based on the above, SiNNERMAN Ensemble’s new production of Ivanov, directed and adapted by Sheldon Patinkin, is clearly a success. The production breathes through the toils of many hard-working talents both on- and off-stage, aided heavily by the strong direction Patinkin has taken with the classic Anton Chekhov "comedy."
As the play opens, we meet the play’s name sake, the original 19th-century "emo" boy Nikolai Ivanov (played by Jeremy Fisher), sitting in his garden, enjoying a quiet evening of self-pity. He is joined by Lvov, a doctor and self-described "honest man" (Johnny Russell) who informs Ivanov that Anna (Cyd Blakewell), his wife of five years, is dying of tuberculosis. The news is met by almost little reaction, which disappoints Lvov and sets into motion a cycle of criticism for the far-from-admirable, downcast man.
In act two, the village gossip begins: How could Ivanov not spend more time with his poor, sick wife? What must have been his intentions in marrying her in the first place? Is he a swindler? As we are introduced to the cast of townsfolk from varying backgrounds and of an array of occupations, we soon realize their common interest: Discussing the turmoils of Ivanov as though it were tabloid news. The supporting cast shines as each character contributes to the humorous underlay of the play’s tragic foreshadowings.
The drama further unfurls when Ivanov meets Sasha (Sue Redman), the young daughter of the Lyebedev’s, a family who Ivanov owes a great deal of money. Given his indifference to wife Anna, Ivanov develops affections for the young woman and the story line thickens into an all-out satire of dueling motivations based in financial and personal despair.
Though the play is technically a comedy, it is far from shallow. The production’s ability to build emotion through purposely overwrought melodrama is one of it’s greatest strengths, though at times the drama feels sparse, as though stretched too thinly across the breadth of the play’s two-and-a-half hour running time. As Sasha, Redman, in particular, seemed to overly rely on a wide-eyed style of delivery that felt disappointingly ostensive at times.
That said, the ensemble’s chemistry is undeniable and Ivanov is a perfect vehicle for that symbiosis. From Fisher’s tense connection with Blakewell to the interplay between the battling gossip queens - the magnetic Calliope Porter is particularly enjoyable as Marfa, the wannabe Countess - the cast tackles this production with all its might, and in the end, they turn in a product worthy of much praise.
SiNNERMAN’s "Ivanov" plays at the Viaduct Theater, 3111 N. Western, throgh Nov. 7. Shows run Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 5 p.m. Tickets and more information are available by visiting www.sinnermanensemble.org or by calling 773-296-6024.
Joseph covers news, arts and entertainment and lives in Chicago.
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