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There has always been a certain air of mystery surrounding Anton Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard. The fact that Chekhov himself was vocally dissatisfied with its original production and died before he explained how it should actually be played, has inspired a multitude of theatre companies the world over to produce the ‘correct’ staging of this classic play. Since the Sydney Theatre Company last performed the play in 1983, the closing of their 2005 season marks as good a time as any to put a new perspective on the now infamous text.
And they have taken no chances. The cast is stellar – Philip Quast, Lucy Bell, Peter Carroll, Pamela Rabe, John Gaden and the company’s Artistic Director, Robyn Nevin, to name a few. Match this with the STC directorial debut of Britian’s Howard Davies, currently Associate Director of the National Theatre, London, and you have a sure-fire success.
All in all, Davies has stayed true to the text. There is no fooling around with Chekhov’s characters and their disastrous predicament. No time shifting or new perspectives. It is a classic interpretation, though this doesn’t mean it is stale. With the show tipping over the three hour mark with two intervals, the pace is still constant and never lags. Davies’ direction shines through every movement on stage. Every actor is in complete understanding of their character, and through the downhill course of the play one feels that nothing can be done to help these misguided people out of their inevitable demise.
Nevin and Gaden as the grand matriarch Ranyevskaya and her brother, Gaev, form a brilliant partnership on stage. Their childish ignorance of impending doom and failure to face reality is a remarkable yet disturbing marvel to behold. Pamela Rabe’s Charlotta is darkly profound, and delights audiences and characters alike with her on stage magic acts. She performs disappearing acts as the main characters continue to believe that their problems too, will magically vanish. Each performance is spirited, with young up-and-coming actors rightfully asserting their places within the drama. Dan Spielman as eternal student Trofimov joins STC’s long awaited Actors’ Ensemble in 2006, and fills the stage with sheer youthfulness and determinism.
Yet it is Lucy Bell as long suffering daughter Varya, and Philip Quast as progressive landowner Lopakhin, that shine amongst the inevitable decay of the stage. Whilst others live their lives concerned with only trivial matters, the audience feels with increasing frustration the plight of these two characters as the voice of reason, when others will hear none. Their own pitiable attempt at romance reaches furthest into one’s compassion, and as Lopakhin triumphs over all, we are unsure as to what he really holds of value in his life.
Andrew Upton’s adaptation for this production is however, somewhat jarring. With colloquial Australian phrases such as ‘Bozo’ and ‘Bloody far out’, his words do not fit the rural Russian background, nor do they blend in with statements about the Tzar and Serf revolution. It is a credit to the cast that this does not unsettle the meaning and feelings inherent in this classic play. Fiona Crombie’s set design is simple yet stunning, and with two intervals, we are able to see three definite shifts in mood through her designs.
Would Chekhov have approved of this production? If he approved of strong direction matched with equally strong performances, then I think he would enjoy this as much as I did.
© Broadway Australia
