“Ivanov” at the TNN: An Evening of Theater Between Laughter, Music and Emotions

This week, La Cuisine’s auditorium displayed a warm atmosphere for the performance ofIvanov. Directed by Jean-François Sivadier, the show carried by Nicolas Bouchaud and around ten actors offered the audience an evening that was as surprising as it was moving.

At 8 p.m., the lights go out and the stage comes alive. In La Cuisine at the National Theatre of Nice, the audience discovered Ivanov, the new creation by Jean-François Sivadier based on Anton Chekhov’s play. For nearly three hours, spectators are drawn into the story of a man confronted with his own contradictions, between disenchantment, love and a quest for meaning.

But on stage, the drama is never played on a single note. Humor borders on darkness, situations follow one another and plot twists constantly maintain the audience’s attention.

A troupe that occupies the entire stage

From the first few minutes, the actors impose a true collective energy. The staging gives plenty of room for movement: the actors invest the entire stage, giving each scene an impression of life and spontaneity.

Around Nicolas Bouchaud, who plays Ivanov, the cast includes notably Norah Krief, Yanis Bouferrache, Christian Esnay, Zakariya Gouram, Gulliver Hecq, Charlotte Issally, Jisca Kalvanda, Frédéric Noaille and Agnès Sourdillon.

All participate in this group dynamic that constitutes one of the great strengths of the show. The performances respond to each other, passing naturally from particularly funny scenes to much more intimate moments.

Acting is undoubtedly one of the most striking elements of this performance. Each actor seems to find their place in this collective mechanism, without ever losing the uniqueness of their character.

When theater also makes room for music

Throughout the performance, the show also reserves several surprises. Theater transforms at times into a musical space. Some actors begin to sing or take their place behind an instrument, at the piano or on drums.

These sequences punctuate the play without breaking its rhythm. They bring an additional dimension to the performance and contribute to this particular atmosphere, at once theatrical, musical and profoundly human.

The scenography accompanies this dynamic. Designed by Marguerite Bordat, it fully integrates with the staging and allows the actors to play with space. Lighting, sound, costumes and props also help build this universe.

Nicolas Bouchaud: “Ivanov”, a singular experience

At the center of this creation, Nicolas Bouchaud carries the character of Ivanov. After the performance, the actor spoke about this theatrical adventure, notably mentioning a very beautiful experience around this creation and the work done with the troupe.

The actor reunites here with Jean-François Sivadier, with whom he collaborates regularly. The director, who had already worked with him on several creations, chose to bring together around him a troupe of actors accustomed to his universe.

This complicity is felt on stage. The exchanges between characters seem constantly nourished by genuine listening between the actors, giving the whole thing a particularly communicative energy.

A conquered audience

After 2 hours and 40 minutes of performance, the final scenes give way to applause. And this applause goes on for a long time.

In the auditorium, the audience seems to have been swept away by this production where laughter, music, drama and emotion meet. A way for Jean-François Sivadier to make Chekhov’s text resonate with contemporary energy, while preserving the profound questions that run through the work.

With Ivanov, the National Theatre of Nice thus offered an evening where theater is experienced as much through words as through bodies, silences, bursts of laughter and musical moments. A performance that, at the end of the evening, above all leaves the feeling of having shared a true collective moment.