The rhythm of their world is set by successive war interventions resulting in the arrivals and departures of the local garrison. In the background of the events described, lurks the upcoming war with Japan and the revolutions of 1905 and 1917. What is more, Chekhov’s characters are hindered by the sentimental and emotional conveniences they must obey. This timeless cliché of a drawing-room from the end of the 19th century produced numerous equally “universal” and clichéd interpretations of Czekhov’s plays.

The creators of the play desire to return to the intentions of the author. What really comes to the front in his works is the critical view of the contemporary socio-political situation and radical opposition to hypocrisy, the love of comfort and stupidity of the elites that do not appreciate the importance of their social role and the duties that it carries. Stuck in trivial, emotional problems, Chekhov’s characters hide behind the plans they never realised, outdated platitudes about the value of work and social equality. This highly critical gesture of the writer is conveyed through his love for humour, grotesque and satire, and through tampering with the tastes and expectations of the audience. Those are the elements of his work which have been surprisingly often overlooked by theatre productions of his plays to date.