Ivanov

Don't go to Lincoln Center expecting the buoyant Kevin Kline of In & Out; as Anton Chekhov's cash-poor landowner who's fallen out of love with his wife (Jayne Atkinson), he has to wallow in self-pity. Kline underplays the part initially, but his performance gradually builds in intensity. He's nearly upstaged in Ivanov by a superb ensemble (headed by the scene-stealing vets Marian Seldes, Robert Foxworth, and Max Wright). Aided by David Hare's lively adaptation, director Gerald Gutierrez (who won back-to-back Tonys for The Heiress and A Delicate Balance) smartly gives equal weight to the play's melancholia and humor. And John Lee Beatty's handsome sets glide on and off stage impressively. A