newcritics - Latest Comments in Comic Suicide: Chekov’s “The Seagull”

Re: Comic Suicide: Chekov’s “The Seagull”

Kathleen Maher — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 22:22:42 -0000

In the assistant director's note was a story about Chekov showing his play to Tolstoy, described as his mentor. Tolstoy didn't respond for an uncomfortably long time and eventually chided him for wasting his time on plays when he was such a fine short story writer. The tale has Tolstoy snorting in derision that Chekov's effort was "almost as bad as Shakespeare."
Chekov left immediately, and when his carriage was out of range shouted in delight to the heavens: "Almost as bad as Shakespeare!"

Re: Comic Suicide: Chekov’s “The Seagull”

M.A. Peel — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 19:52:50 -0000

Kathleen, I have never seen any Chekov; maybe this is the moment. I would like to see Dianne Wiest, since I enjoyed her performance so much on In Treatment.

Re: Comic Suicide: Chekov’s “The Seagull”

Dan Leo — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 16:17:17 -0000

Chekov, who had the brilliant idea of writing plays about groups of people who are all more or less dissatisfied with their lives. In other words: real life.