Myriam Muller Stages Chekhov's Biting Bourgeois Satire 'Ivanov' in Rennes and Montpellier

Myriam Muller, associate artist of the Théâtres de la Ville de Luxembourg, directs Anton Chekhov's 'Ivanov' using the original 1887 version, which is more comedic, violent, and crude in style. This early work caused a scandal at its premiere and was later revised by Chekhov. The production features a Franco-Belgian-Luxembourgish cast and runs at the Théâtre National de Bretagne in Rennes from April 28 to May 7, 2026, then at the Printemps des Comédiens festival in Montpellier on June 2 and 3, 2026. The play follows Ivanov, a debt-ridden landowner married to the dying Anna Petrovna, who seeks refuge with his alcoholic friend Lebedev, whose wife lends him money and whose daughter Sasha falls in love with him. After his wife's death, Ivanov plans to marry Sasha. Once an idealist wanting to change the world, he is now a bitter, inactive intellectual, emblematic of the 'superfluous man' in a society defined by work, money, and social success. Chekhov's play is a scathing portrait of a decaying provincial petty bourgeoisie—stupid, malicious, hypocritical, and gossip-hungry—illustrating the drama of modern man worn down by excessive lucidity and the cruel banality of the world.