Diary of a Madman

Nikolai Gogol's Diary of a Madman was first written in 1833 as a short story; soon after that the author converted his work into a stage piece, a monologue. It takes place in a mental institution where Poprishkin, a minor government official (played masterfully by Ilya Volok), talks feverishly, compulsively, about his shattered hopes and dreams.

Gogol's interest in madmen dated back to his youth; he was fascinated by the logical consistency of their bizarre ideas. With Poprishkin, he created a character who is a mixture of rationality and madness, a twisted, tormented soul who is also capable of moments of lucidity and understanding. Disturbed as he is, there is a pulse of humanity that still beats within him, faintly but bravely.

Poprishkin, we learn, has been unlucky in life and love. Class rigidities have kept him from advancing in his job; he also had the misfortune to fall in love with the daughter of his station chief. His romantic fantasies clash violently with the grim realities of the madhouse; the knowledge of this contradiction torments him, enrages him. But at the same time, he is capable of laughing at himself, at life as well.

The interweaving of humor, anger, hatred and delusions of grandeur gives the monologue its dense, complex texture -- and makes it a fiendishly difficult challenge for an actor. Volok rises to the occasion, though; he gives a powerful and commanding performance that this reviewer will long remember.