Chekhov on Theatre

Russian author and playwright Chekhov (1860–1904) once wrote that writers weren't "obliged to answer questions about God, pessimism, etc…A writer's task is simply to imagine who, how, and in what circumstance people talk or think about God or pessimism." He makes the point that artists are not required to provide answers, only properly posed questions. Mulrine's commentary and introduction of the playwright's writings doesn't quite succeed at posing proper questions, but it also doesn't quite fail. His translation is engaging and conversational, especially in Chekhov's letters, most often to his mentor, Alexei Suvorin, Russian actor and theatre director, K.S. Alexeyev-Stanislavsky, and his wife, actress Olga Knipper. Where the collection falls short is in the presentation. The first half consists of his columns about theater and letters of advice to other artists, and it is full of insight by a man who repeatedly claims to know nothing about the stage. The second half devolves into a man cursed with an analytical mind reevaluating every inch of all of his plays, and it gets tiring quickly. The letters surrounding the fiasco of a premiere of The Seagull is especially interesting, but the volume could be shorter.