The Forest (play)

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

The Forest (Les) is a Russian social comedy written by Alexander Ostrovsky in 1870 and published in January 1871. It was first staged in Saint Petersburg on November 1, 1871 at the Alexandrinsky Theatre as a benefit for actor Fyodor Burdin, who played the main character Neschastlivtsev. A Moscow premiere followed on November 26, 1871 at the Maly Theatre.

Ostrovsky began writing The Forest at his Shchelykovo estate in late summer 1870. At first he planned a family comedy, but the satire grew stronger, with the character Neschastlivtsev becoming the center of the play.

The play had an informal reading at Ostrovsky’s brother Mikhail’s house. Ostrovsky later sought the prestigious Uvarov Prize for the work but did not win it; the decision was criticized by the critic Pavel Annenkov.

Censors approved the play on May 14, 1871. At Saint Petersburg, Burdin’s performance was warmly received by some, but his lackluster acting contributed to a weak reception overall. Some cast members were praised for their roles. In Moscow, conservative critics gave negative reviews, though famous writers like Nekrasov and Turgenev praised The Forest; Turgenev even called Neschastlivtsev one of Ostrovsky’s best creations. Prov Sadovsky supported the play and arranged for his son Mikhail to appear as Bulanov in the Moscow premiere.