Oblomov Opens at Iranshahr
TEHRAN.(Iranart) – Theater director Siavash Bahadori Raad has staged his adaptation of “Oblomov” at Iranshahr Theater in Tehran.
The 90-minute play, written and directed by Bahadori opened May 14 and will be onstage till May 31. The director has written the play on the basis of “Oblomov,” the second novel by Russian novelist Ivan Goncharov (1812-1891), first published in 1859, ILNA reported on its Persian website.
“It is a daring task to alter and adapt a literary work into a theatrical play. Fortunately, Siavash Bahadori had enough wit and nerve for it and rose to the social needs of the time,” said film and TV series director Hassan Fat’hi who was present on the opening day.
“Needless to say, the adaptation is not irrelevant to our social and historical situations. I hope the work will serve as a warning against Oblomovism or passive daydreaming,” Fat’hi added.
Oblomovism was first coined by Russian literary critic Nikolay Aleksandrovich Dobrolyubov (1836-1861) in his best known essay “What is Oblomovism” (1859). The essay which was later referred to for many utilitarian purposes of communist forums, deals with the phenomenon represented by the character Oblomov in Goncharov’s novel, a nobleman who rarely leaves his bed.
The essay established the term Oblomovism as a name for sluggish or languorous inertia usually seen in a class of people with unearned wealth.
The central character of the story Ilya Ilyich Oblomov is a young, generous nobleman who seems incapable of making important decisions or undertaking any significant actions. Throughout the novel he rarely leaves his room or bed.
In the first 50 pages, he manages only to move from his bed to a chair. The book was considered a satire of Russian nobility whose social and economic function was increasingly questioned in mid-nineteenth century Russia.
The cast in Oblomov includes Payam Dehkordi, Mehdi Bajestani, Parham Yadollahi, Faraz Sarabi, Javad Pouladi, Amir Jenani, Arefeh Lak, Mehrdad Mostafavi and Elaheh Afshari.
Tiwall.com has the tickets to the play. Iranshahr Theater is located south of Artists Park, North Mousavi Street, Taleqani Avenue.