Chekhov in Performance

For a full understanding of any text, careful consideration must be given to its life in performance. In this rewarding study of four of Chekhov’s major plays – Uncle Vanya, The Seagull, The Cherry Orchard and Three Sisters – J. L. Styan demonstrates the development of Chekhov’s skills as a dramatist and discusses stage action, portrayal of character, differing twentieth-century productions and the audience reactions they evoked.