person
Nikolai Petipa
Petipa
also: Петипа, Н. М. Петипа, Nikolai Marius Petipa
A member of the Petipa theatrical family active on the St. Petersburg stage in the 1880s (son of the renowned ballet master Marius Petipa), referred to here in the past tense ("was") among the journalist's list of respected local actors -- distinct from the ballet master himself.
Reading notes
- To A. N. Maslov, October 1888. Moscow. §3 Petipa
Named only by surname, with no further identifying detail in the source. Given the theatrical context (an actor or director "hissed off" the Moscow stage, now leaving for Petersburg), this most plausibly matches the existing corpus entity for Nikolai Petipa, a member of the Petipa theatrical family working the Russian stage in the 1880s -- but the source gives no basis to confirm this identification over any other Petipa, and the link should be treated as tentative. Distinct in any case from the famous ballet master Marius Petipa, whom nothing in this letter indicates.
- To A. S. Suvorin, 3 November 1888. Moscow. §11 Petipa is reading Maslov's play
CARRIED-FORWARD UNCERTAINTY FLAG -- per the identification already flagged as uncertain in's headnote, this is very likely a member of Korsh's theatrical company sharing a surname with the famous ballet master Marius Petipa, not Petipa himself; the source gives no basis to resolve this further, consistent with the earlier letter's treatment.
- To A. S. Suvorin, 28 November 1888. Moscow. §7 Wherever did Maslov get the idea that Petipa is a Don Juan? He's a wooden, varnished Frenchman and nothing more.
Chekhov's blunt professional put-down is translated faithfully and unsoftened, consistent with the corpus's general policy.