In The New York Times review of the new production of Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya that premiered last night in Manhattan, the Russian characters are described as frenetic and “hands-on — grasping, clasping, cuffing and massaging one another.” Touching, most often considered a form of intimacy or tenderness, is actually a sign of aggressiveness that constructs power dynamics between ‘the toucher’ and ‘the touched.’

In the words of the reviewer, the constantly-in-contact Chekhov actors seem “determined to show they can still get in touch with themselves by touching others.” The Uncle Vanya cast includes movie stars Maggie Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard. In real life, they have been engaged for three years and live together with their son in Park Slope as unmarried “partners.” They seem uncommonly happy and successful.

Maybe shaking hands and hugging are grossly misinterpreted ways of displaying authority, and maybe marriage is overrated. During my pre-Valentine’s Day anthropological research last night, I crashed “Graduate Student Speed Dating.” Clammy handshakes abounded.

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