With Platonov, our Spring 2016 Sunday Salon, APL enters its fourth year hosting these popular community events!
THE PLAY
Platonov (better-known in Russia as Fatherlessness or A Play Without a Title) was Chekhov’s first large-scale drama, written in 1878. Chekhov’s manuscript is a sprawling, and incomplete play which for many years was considered unproducable. Contemporary adaptations such as the masterful production directed by Lev Dodin for the Maly Theatre of St Petersburg (1997) — which APL Executive Artistic Director Zhenya Lavy had the privilege of seeing on its home stage — have called that assertion into question, and the play will appear on Broadway this year in the Sydney Theatre Company’s version by Andrew Upton called The Present, starring Richard Roxburgh and Cate Blanchett.
Platonov, a provincial schoolmaster disillusioned with a society he deems bereft of ideas and principles, finds himself at the center of romantic intrigue involving four local women: a widowed landowner, her stepson’s wife, a young student, and (of course) his own wife. Part Don Juan and part Hamlet, Platonov is a charming, witty, and admired rogue whose disruptive charm leads to the inevitable firing of Chekhov’s gun.
David Hare’s adaptation premiered in 2001 at the Almeida Theatre in London.
THE PLAYWRIGHT
Anton Pavlovich Chekhov, considered one of the world’s greatest writers of short fiction, also wrote four classics plays — The Seagull, Uncle Vanya, Three Sisters, Cherry Orchard — several one-act plays, and a variety of short vaudevilles. His early full-length plays Platonov and Ivanov, while produced more frequently in Eastern Europe, are not as well known in the United States.
CAST
Mikhail Vasilievich Platonov: Tyler Polumsky
Sasha Ivanovna: Annie Paladino
Nikolai Triletsky: Joseph Lavy
Colonel Ivan Triletsky: Jose Amador
Anna Petrovna: TBA
Sergei Voynitsev: Matt Sherrill
Sofia Yegorovna: Margaretta Campagna
Maria Grekova: Sydney Andrews
Porfiry Glagolyev: Nick Rempel
Kiril Glagolyev: Kevin Lin
Pavel Shcherbuk: Jose Amador
Abraham Vengerovich: Mark Waldstein
Timofei Bugrov: Shawn Belyea
Osip: Kevin Lin
Gerasim Petrin/Yakov/Katya: Salon Day Volunteer #1
Isak Vengerovich/Vasili/Marko: Salon Day Volunteer #2
ABOUT THE SUNDAY SALONS
APL casts actors to read classic and/or provocative plays we want to engage as thinking artists but aren’t likely to bring to stage in full production. Anyone interested in the play or its context can join us. Each Salon is a unique, dynamic assembly of artists, intellectuals, provocateurs, friends, and family. We read, drink, eat, and — with minimal moderation — let discussion go where it will. And if you’d like to bring a piece of music to perform during the evening, feel free to do so!
FOOD
Salons are potluck. Please bring a dish and/or drink to share. Theme according to the play… or not. And arrive early enough to enjoy the bounty!
FOR YOUR COMFORT
Seating is ample, but feel free to bring a cushion if you prefer the (hardwood) floor.
ACCESSIBILITY
Our location has a lot of stairs to navigate (15 just to enter) and, unfortunately, no current access options to avoid them.
SCHEDULE
4:00pm Arrivals. Mingling and food/drinks.
5:00pm Reading begins, to be followed by discussion. (Note, this is an earlier start time than usual, as the play is long!)
10:00pm End time is a best guess. Leave when you need to; we allow the discussion to run its course.
NOTE TO OUR ACTORS WHO ARE READING
We will distribute the play digitally. Please bring your own printed copy or a device to view the file. Wifi onsite.
