Only in 1897 there were seven premieres of Dubrovsky in different Russian towns: in Yekaterinoslavl, Kiev, Nizhny Novgorod, Odessa, Poltava, Saratov and Yalta.

The main role of Vladimir Dubrovsky was performed by Nikolai Figner, Leonid Sobinov, Sergei Lemeshev, and Ivan Kozlovsky, as well as various others.

An abridged version of the opera was broadcast on Soviet television in 1961, featuring Sergei Lemeshev, Vera Kudryavtseva, Georgy Dudarev, Alexei Ivanov and the Moscow Academic Musical Theatre under the direction of Peter Slavinsky.

Determined to get justice one way or another, Dubrovsky gathers together a band of serfs and goes on a rampage like another Robin Hood, stealing from the rich and giving to the poor.

In the opera, Nápravník played down the social aspect underscoring the love story of Dubrovsky and the daughter of his sworn enemy.