Ivanov

Belvoir’s new artistic director Eamon Flack both scripted and directed this remarkable reworking of Chekhov's first full-length play.  With a strong comic cast who capture both the pathos and full ridiculousness of Chekhov's lost characters, Flack’s rollicking but sensitive production reaches beyond pre-revolutionary Russia to our Australia today.  The actors somehow inhabit both worlds, and so point to what we have in common, as our social progress also falters into inertia and the only bottom line is economic growth.

Ivanov himself (Ewan Leslie) is a narcissistically depressed, failed landowner burdened with debts, guilt and a dying wife he no longer loves.  He finds solace at the gauche parties of his wealthy neighbours (John Howard and Helen Thomson as the snozzled husband and his nouveau riche wife) and their daughter (Airlie Dodds), who inexplicably is drawn to love the hopeless Ivanov.  

Also partying is Ivanov’s uncle Shabelsky (a colourful John Bell), who has long swapped social ideals for the bottle, and Fayssal Bazzi is charismatic as Ivanov’s buffooning cousin. Both are on a mission to wed the local wealthy widow.  As Sasha, Blazey Best, along with Helen Thomson, are scene-stealers as these trophy bogans, fully gilded in Mel Page’s outlandish costumes, hovering between Gold Coast matrons and mafia moles of Moscow.  

The outsiders are Anna (Zahra Newman) as Ivanov’s foreign wife and Lvov, her Turkish doctor (Yalin Ozucelik), respectively, silent and very direct accusers of Ivanov and this mad world.  Mel Dyer also has exasperated moments as the maid.

Ewan Leslie brings subtle variety to Ivanov’s torments, but they remain obscurely poetic, and his is not an empathetic central character.  And by the end, nor really are most of the others, as they spin together going no where. Thankfully the original play has been shortened.

MIchael Hankin’s quirky settings are built before our eyes at each act and Flack makes full choreographic use of the flexible space.  It’s a fun, artful, contemporary adaption where the heart of Chekhov still survives.

Martin Portus

Images: John Howard and Airlie Dodds, & Blazey Best, Ewen Leslie and Helen Thomson. Photographer: Brett Boardman