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This production is so concerned to find the lively, full-blooded side of Chekhov that it gets a little hysterical at times. It is directed by Howard Davies with a great feeling for the rhythms of the play. It has a stellar cast who give crisp, energetic performances. The adaptation by Andrew Upton is bright and contemporary, with his usual sprinkling of cheerful anachronisms. (Yepihodov's nickname here is Bozo.)
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Quast presents Lopakhin as a man still haunted by feelings from his abject peasant childhood but then gloriously triumphant when he finally buys the estate. His great victory speech is the high point of the production. Quast and Bell provide the only truly moving moment in their playing of the famous proposal scene, Bell crouched on the floor at the end, defeated. By comparison the old serf Firs's death at the end is quite unmoving, a mere effect.
© The Australian.