Why Anton Chekhov is the "it" playwright and writer

Now might not be the time that you'd expect to hear someone declare a Russian playwright to be the stage man of the moment.

But, says theater critic Charles McNulty, Anton Chekhov's influence and work seems to be everywhere, whether it's through productions of his plays or references to his work in other forms of literature.

He notes that Chekhov's work features human beings, rather than heroes and villains, and plots in which little seems to happen even though everything changes — a sharp contrast to our current atmosphere.

Which, perhaps, is why artists are so drawn to Chekhov right now.

Head to the Los Angeles Times for McNulty's further reflections on why Chekhov is suddenly everywhere.

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