Celebrate Chekhov

On the birth anniversary of the Russian playwright and short-story writer, one of the greatest the world has known, four city-based theatre directors share their favourite piece by him

Today, Anton Chekhov would’ve been 161 years old. But his presence in the literary world shows no sign of fading away for in many ways he revolutionised it, particularly the genre of short fiction. The playwright, the son of a grocer in southern Russia, has left behind a vast body of work that includes four major plays, and we ask four theatre directors to pick their favourite piece.

Nikhil Katara picks
The Seagull

I was introduced to Chekhov through Three Sisters. Initially, I didn’t understand the writing style because there’s a point where the plot doesn’t move. Later, I found The Seagull to be interesting because he introduced the idea of writing and its principles through the play — like Chekhov’s gun, a device where an element from the first act of the play fires till the very end. I connected with the character Trigorin, who delivers a beautiful monologue on what it means to be a writer.

Jeff Goldberg picks
The Seagull

As a method actor, so many things that I do start with this play. Chekhov, who was a medical doctor, was very interested in psychology and began to internalise the ideas of human behaviour. The characters in The Seagull are not just motivated by external conflicts but also what we don’t see on stage — for instance, [the protagonist] Treplev’s relationship with his mother is key to this play and Chekhov borrows from the works of Freud and Jung. The play is a bit of a manifesto about theatre — its notions, construct, and what its intimacy could represent.

Tushar Dalvi picks
The Proposal

This piece is a comedy of errors. It’s about a young man who comes to propose marriage to his neighbour’s daughter but instead everyone gets involved in trivial arguments and forgets the larger picture. It is relevant in current times because the public keeps fighting over smaller things and the larger issue remains on the sidelines. We [Rangaai Theatre] have done a Hindustani rendition of the play and will be staging it next month in Pune as well. The Proposal actually aligns with the Indian context as we have some similarities with Russian tradition and culture.

Trishla Patel picks
Three Sisters

I was new to theatre when I picked up Chekhov. I chose to start and was fascinated with Three Sisters because in my family, we are three sisters and a brother — which are the characters the play revolves around, too. It’s easy to be part of their world; Chekhov doesn’t alienate you if you enjoy reading. I went with people telling me that Chekhov is amazing and then realised why he was so; he puts humour into the most mundane things, which I enjoyed. I read a lot of science fiction because I like endings which are left open to the reader. This, you can also see in Chekhov’s writing. Not all authors keep it like that. There’s usually an ending.

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