Young, attractive, idealistic and the product of his rural bourgeois upbringing, Ilya Oblomov was seen by contemporary critics as the Russian Hamlet who answered 'No!' to the question 'to be or not to be.'. Now living in a St. Petersberg, he has sunk to such a state of lethargy that to get out of bed is a major undertaking. Sprawled on his capacious couch, he pictures himself as the model landlord, and dreams of reform and a new social order. While he lies dormant, his estate is being manipulated. Friends attempt to rouse him into action and even Olga, a beautiful heiress fails to quell his appetite for apathy. Even love finds a seat in the dream world of Oblomov's couch. From his character derives the Russian term oblomovshchina, meaning backwardness or inertia.| 5 Jul 06 to 22 Jul 06 | Jermyn Street Theatre Inner London, Greater London Performance Details => Venue archive |
