About the Show

A new arrangement of Chekhov's very first play, previously thought to be impossible to stage.

During the chaos of the 1917 Russian Revolution, Maria Chekhov locked a number of her late brother Anton’s scripts in a safety deposit box. In 1921, Soviet scholars opened the box and found a play inside, with no title page, a long list of characters, and a great number of themes and action. It was dubbed unstageable.

Dead Centre has deconstructed the Chekhov text into a bombastic and thrilling piece that has surprised and entertained audiences across the globe, and is now making its New York debut.

Critic Reviews (5)

"The performance we watch is, in a sense, the play within the play....'Chekhov’s First Play' surely felt much bolder and fresher when it was new."
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"The humor of the first half is rather mild, and the lengthy onstage falling apart is surprisingly decorous in its effect. If Chekhov's First Play is meant to shock or unsettle, it falls wide of the mark."
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"When I see something as wildly imaginative as 'Chekhov’s First Play,' I happily sit back in wonder...You don’t know what will happen next, but that’s part of the joy of this piece. It is a multi-sensory experience. Give in to it."
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The second half is darker, attaining a quiet power, with an entrancing dance sequence choreographed by Liv O’Donoghue. It all coheres into a thoughtfully entertaining experience.
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"One thing is certain: 'Chekhov’s First Play' isn’t boring."
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Cast and creative team

Dead Centre production