Platonov (The Fatherless)

• Theatre

Platonov is an early work by Anton Chekhov and deals with the disorientation of a generation in late 19th century Russia.

"Just tell me, do you love me?"

Chekhov called his plays comedies, in which the lightness arises in the midst of melancholy and the humor from the tragic realization that society lacks ideas and the will to change. This is also the case here: Like every summer, people meet at the country estate of the widow general Anna Petrovna. It is hot and people are bored - yet everyone has come, even the unloved guests whose presence is only accepted for the sake of money. In the midst of this society in which doing nothing has become a survival strategy: Platonov, once an intellectual with ideals, now a cynical village school teacher without a degree. An overburdened Don Juan, loved by too many, whose longing and desire he cannot fulfill. A charming but unfit coward, whom four women want to have, keep or save in vain. The vehemence of clashing demands noticeably unbalances the familiar monotony of the summery province - and then a new owner gets ready to take over the estate ...