‘Ivanov’- Exceptional Theater!

By Alix Cohen

Described by friends and associates as gentle, observant, ironic, and emotionally reserved, playwright Anton Chekhov exhibited those qualities in his work. The artist called only four of his plays comedies. Larger than life personalities- Arkadena in The Seagull, Serebryakov in Uncle Vanya, for example, provide welcome noise.

No production I’ve seen, however, has gleefully been ambushed by humor like this New American Ensemble version of Ivanov.
The psychological and moral crisis of its protagonist remains front and center, but social situations are viewed as absurd as they are untenable, while provincial characters arrive irresistibly raucous and handsy.

Nicolai Ivanov (Zachary Desmond), a 35 year-old, once idealistic landowner, has sunk into apathy, debt, and self-disgust, reflecting the moral fatigue of 1880s Russia. He proclaims his state ad infinitum, then declares abject regret. The frequency with which this occurs almost matches pronouncements of boredom, apparently the last straw in everyone’s book.

Avoiding sick, still loving wife, Anna (Quinn Jackson, whose acting makes her seem translucent), he feels trapped by guilt and exhaustion, existentially denying emotion. Anna’s in-house, Doctor, Lvov, (a very stiff Lambert Tamin) who purveys holier-than-thou attitude in the name of his patient, drives Nikolai crazy.

The ‘master of the house’ can get no peace what with his freeloading uncle, Count Shabelsky (Ilia Volok) and frustrated, opportunistic estate manager Borkin (Mike Labbadia) on premises. Both are gladiatorial drunks and flirts – gushing, grabbing, kneading, enfolding men and women alike.

On a visit to his steel-backboned creditor Zinaida (Mary Bacon, whose expression would crack a mirror), Nikolai is waylaid by her lovely, lovesick daughter, Sasha (Maya Shoham – convincingly precocious and reckless.) Should he encourage the besotted young girl and hurtle towards a new life?

Borkin’s latest scheme deploys the Count towards giggly Martha (a wonderfully blousy Alexandra Pearl) in hopes of a marriage wherein his title is exchanged for her income- a common transaction.

He and Shabelsky conscript Zinaida’s emasculated husband, Lebedev (Paul Nibanck) to gossip, song, and exuberant inebriation. “I’m just a jester without a face. They pay no attention,” Lebedev moans. The men raid a pantry for herring, pickles and vodka, consumed before us (well, probably not the vodka) turning Nikolai’s study into a tavern. Rarely have I seen such splendid onstage sots. Slurred speech is nonetheless intelligible, movement priceless.

In Ilia Volok’s capable hands, the good-hearted Count comes alive as a hapless survivor with whittled down pride and better memories. His bravado arrives in tandem with vulnerability. As Borkin, Mike Labbadia viscerally swaggers towards pleasure, manhandling those for whom he feels affection. Think Zorba. Paul Nibanck inhabits burgeoning confusion that creates its own . mettle.Together, the three are a fusillade of human messiness.

“When we’re in our 20s, we’re all heroes. At 30, we’re worn out, useless, how do you account for that?…I took risks, threw money away, but I was happy…” Nicolai wails. Zachary Desmond’s personification is palpably lost, sweating despair without shedding the guise of a gentleman. The actor sustains focus and credibility. ‘Well cast.

Sasha’s unexpected visit to Nikolai’s home compounds things. Her explanation as to why she’s intent on marrying this wreck of a man is clever and believable. Shoham is transfixing in the scene. Anna wrenchingly confronts her husband. Death thrusts events forward.

Will Nokolai marry Sasha? Will Shabelsky marry Martha? What about the unpaid debt? Rationalizations and objections fly amidst torrential, serio-comic bawling. The play ends in violence.

Direction by Michael De Filippis is a master class in character bespoke imagination and inspired stage business. At one point, Borkin exuberantly picks up Nikolai under his arms and swings him like a toy. At another, Avdotya dives into drunken fun spread-eagled on a table. Kosykh carries his own shot glass. A dazed, Lebedev ends up holding Sasha’s wedding bouquet…

Selective parentheses addressing the audience counterintuitively work. When characters search for words, what gradually passes over faces is superb. The space is used with great creativity.

“My jaw dropped repeatedly when I first read Ivanov. It spoke profoundly to my own life and the challenges we all face in 2026 that particular mixture of confounding loss, intense personal need to change the world, and futility.” Michael De Filippis

Also featuring Casey Worthington as Kosykh, a clerk/gambling addict who literally loses his shirt and Maude Mitchell as Avdotya, the local matchmaker, up for a bit of salacious fun of her own.

Ivanov is generally considered a drama. Here we find ourselves at the center of a cyclone of appealing, contrasting chaos.
The New American Ensemble is marvelous.

Set design by Ashley Basile effectively employs only pivotal pieces. Adeline Santello’s costumes are period perfect with occasional, appealing tongue in cheek. Make-up (no attribution) ranges from “natural” to Martha’s potent bordello-like efforts.

Sound (Stan Mathabane) and Light (Sarah Woods) skillfully create everything from distant sounds of “the cook and the coachman having a party” to evocative fireworks. Music haunts.

Photos by Bronwen Sharp
Opening: Zachary Desmond ( Nikolai Ivanov)

New American Ensemble presents
Ivanov by Anton Chekhov
Translated by Paul Schmidt
Directed by Michael De Filippis
The West End Theater 263 West 86th Street
www.newamericanensemble.org.
Through April 5, 2026