Letters of Anton Chekhov (Tchekhov) - Penn State University

Letters of Anton Chekhov to His Family and Friends with biographical sketchJuly 29, 1902.I have read your play.* It is new and unmistakably fine. The secondact is very good, it is the best, the strongest, and when I wasreading it, especially the end, I almost danced with joy. The tone isgloomy, oppressive; the audience unaccustomed to such subjectswill walk out of the theatre, and you may well say good-bye to yourreputation as an optimist in any case. My wife will play Vassilisa,the immoral and spiteful woman; Vishnevsky walks about the houseand imagines himself the Tatar—he is convinced that it is the partfor him. Luka, alas! you must not give to Artyom. He will repeathimself in that part and be exhausted; but he would do the policemanwonderfully, it is his part. The part of the actor, in which youhave been very successful (it is a magnificent part), should be givento an experienced actor, Stanislavsky perhaps. Katchalev will playthe baron.You have left out of the fourth act all the most interesting characters(except the actor), and you must mind now that there is no illeffect from it. The act may seem boring and unnecessary, especiallyif, with the exit of the strongest and most interesting actors, thereare left only the mediocrities. The death of the actor is awful; it is asthough you gave the spectator a sudden box on the ear apropos ofnothing without preparing him in any way. How the baron got intothe doss-house and why he is a baron is also not sufficiently clear.* * *Andreyev’s “Thought” is something pretentious, difficult to understand,and apparently no good, but it is worked out with talent.Andreyev has no simplicity, and his talent reminds me of an artificialnightingale. Skitalets now is a sparrow, but he is a real livingsparrow ….*“In the Depths.”412