Word: characterized
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Dates: during 1960-1969
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In order to propel his close-knit cast through a long, fragmentized narrative, Director Lumet has to bob around a good deal, ticker-taping a chatty alumnae newsletter across the screen like subtitles in a foreign movie, sometimes cutting from character to character as though he were taking an opinion...
The conventional approach to Chekhov emphasizes detachment and the fine etching of character. The proscenium arch is mandatory, the sets are deep, the action well separated from the audience. The long, pregnant pause is preferred to the passionate cry. This approach plays up the interaction of secondary "characters" for poignancy...
This approach has two basic flaws-it makes Chekhov a more callous observer than he actually is, and it weakens the motivation for the play's climactic violence. It is a particularly misguided way to stage Ivanov, Chekhov's first full-length play. There are strong traces of Chekhov himself...
The age problem is also an inherent one, inherent in the 62-year old Gielgud. Ivanov is supposed to be 35 at the time of his suicide. The surrender of youth to failure is part of his tragedy. Gielgud adds ten years to Ivanov and unavoidably softens the character's...
Whether as a result of Ivanov's age increase or not, one other key character is also played as too old. Count Shabelsky (Edward Atienza) is the 62-year-old uncle of Ivanov. Atienza plays him as a spry-minded, physically crumbling comedy figure. He gives up one attempt at...