The Lower Depths

About

Gorky's 1902 play set in a flophouse in St. Petersburg is the great document of Russian naturalist drama and one of the founding texts of proletarian theater: a collection of people at the very bottom of society — thieves, prostitutes, former professionals reduced to poverty — argue about the meaning of life as they slowly deteriorate. The Moscow Art Theatre's original production under Stanislavski was a sensation, running for years and touring Europe. The play poses the question of whether comforting illusions are necessary for human survival — debated by the itinerant philosopher Luka — without finally answering it. It is among the most honest portraits of desperate poverty in world drama.