person
Ernst von Possart
Possart
also: Поссарт, Ernst Possart
German actor and theater director, celebrated for his guest performances in Russia in the 1880s; Chekhov gives a terse verdict ("Not bad") on his Moscow performance in the title role of Byron's "Manfred."
Reading notes
- To N. A. Leikin, 25 February 1887. Moskva*. §13 Possart in "Manfred"
The German actor Ernst von Possart was touring Russia at this time; "Manfred" is Byron's dramatic poem, which Possart performed in Moscow. Chekhov's verdict is characteristically terse.
- To M. P. Chekhova, 19 March 1891. en route to Ven. §3 the conductors and footmen speak in Possart's tone
A jab at Ernst von Possart (1841-1921), the German actor and Munich court-theater intendant celebrated -- and, per Chekhov's private taste, over-praised -- for his declamatory style; Chekhov elsewhere gives him a terse, lukewarm verdict on stage ("Not bad,"). Here the reference is repurposed as a comic simile for the pompous, theatrical drawl of Austrian railway staff at the border, not a comment on Possart's acting itself.