Review: Ivanov

TRAGIC AND FUNNY CHEKHOV

He would like to go to the theatre, but his wife likes serious, while his own preferences lean more towards comedy. What to do?
No problem. You should head to the Helsinki City Theatre to see the Hungarian Tamás Ascher’s take on Chekhov’s debut play, Ivanov. Ascher finds plenty of laughs in the tragic story, sometimes even jumping to the side of farce.
The actors are also “guilty” of having fun. When Leena Uotila, Riitta Havukainen, Pentti Sveholm, Eppu Salminen and Lari Halme are allowed on stage at the same time, comedy is almost forcibly created, even though Rauno Ahonen , who plays a strong lead role, does not smile much.
However, the jumble of styles does not matter, as it smoothly brings Chekhov’s debut play into the modern age. The problems of human life have not changed in 120 years. Ivanov surprises even a viewer who has seen The Seagull, The Cherry Orchard, The Three Sisters and Uncle Vanya to the point of boredom.