Jay Scheib’s rendition of Anton Chekhov’s early play "Platonov, or The Disinherited", presented at The Kitchen in Chelsea, is a heady combination of brilliance and weirdness. In his version of the play, Scheib throws together the dynamics of eight perfect actors, and adds in an experimental filmed simulcast to create a Chekhov experience like no other.

"Platonov" was one of Chekhov's first plays, written in 1878 and never published until 1923, after the great Russian playwright's death. Chekhov wrote it for a particular young actor who was becoming a star in dramatic theater, but it was rejected, and Chekhov revised the script countless times in private without ever truly considering it "finished" -- even after it grew over five hours long.

Although the actors in Scheib's adaptation are great, as is the concept of filming the play live while also having the option of watching it on a screen hanging above the stage, Chekhov's script was intensely edited down to a two-hour version that leaves out a great deal of the writer's work. Even so, the resulting disconnects between the play's beginning, middle, and end are enough to keep audiences wanting more.

Scheib follows the actors around the stage, sometimes annoyingly, with the camera getting up close and personal with them -- allowing the audience to really see the actors' every movement. The stage is divided up into several rooms, some that can’t be seen without watching the screen. Even more interestingly, the live footage of the performance was broadcast to the AMC Empire 25 theater in Midtown, providing a separate audience with a completely different experience of the play. Scheib has used this technique of simulcasting to great effect in his other work, and it fits in neatly with the bizarre antics showcased onstage. It's unclear whether to hold Scheib or Chekhov more accountable for any confusion, but either way it takes a special audience to appreciate this unconventional approach to a classic.