Best Versions of Chekhov?

[Alex Kulak2]

Posted: 5/10/19 at 5:00pm

I have never been able to get into Chekhov's plays. I understand what their relevance is in the development of the modern theatre, but everything is so slow and difficult to follow. What are the best written, most accessible translations of Chekhov for a person to better get into his work?

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 5/10/19 at 5:42pm

NONE OF THEM.  But if you have to read/watch a Chekhov play, pray to the baby Jesus that it isn't the Mamet adaptation of Three Sisters.  Absolute torture.  

[Synecdoche2]

Posted: 5/10/19 at 6:38pm

Paul Schmidt’s translations are generally considered to be the academic standard. Personally, I also enjoy Annie Baker’s Uncle Vanya and Tom Stoppard’s Cherry Orchard, but there are many playable and readable versions of all five (and a half) of his plays.

If you’re new to Chekhov, look for one of the approx. 5000 adaptations of The Seagull as it is easily his most accessible, though the very best thing is to see a Chekhov production first.

[Ravenclaw]

Posted: 5/10/19 at 6:49pm

This is probably not the most helpful answer, but the thing that finally made me "get" Chekhov was reading his work in the original Russian.

Assuming learning a new language is out of the question, I am partial to Curt Columbus's translations. His translations capture the bluntness of the characters and the directness of the language. The most important thing is to avoid the "translations" by non-Russian-speaking playwrights who freely adapt literal translations. I've never seen one that really accurately reflected the feeling of Chekhov's language. On the other end of the spectrum, you also have a lot of highly accurate translations by academics, which often don't scan all that well in English. I like Columbus's translations because I think he balances the two extremes very well as both a fluent Russian speaker and a talented playwright himself. 

But reading Chekhov is never going to really get at what's so great about his work--you have to see it performed. Unfortunately, I find it so rare to find really well-performed Chekhov. So many productions entirely miss that the man wrote comedies (although with some of the translations, it's understandable how you'd miss that). I really enjoyed the film of The Seagull that came out last year because of how much of the humor came through. It's not perfect, but it made my mother, a novice to Chekhov, say "I thought Chekhov wrote boring, sad plays where nothing happens--this movie was hilarious!" and I'd say that's a win. Watch that, and watch Vanya on 42nd Street, and if neither of those really clicks with you, then Chekhov probably just isn't for you, which is okay.