Robert Falls has directed a beautiful production. The entire cast is excellent and expertly navigates the quick shifts between comic and tragic.
Kate Fry as Lyubov Ranevskaya has a madcap, yet tragic quality that sets the tone for the entire show.
The themes are timeless and seem particularly relevant at the moment, particularly the exploration of wealth and poverty.
I’ve admired Falls works since seeing The Young Man form Atlanta on Broadway. He strikes me as the master of quiet moments, stillness and pauses. This production utilizes those to create many lovely, bittersweet, heartbreaking moments.
The show plays more comically than I am making it sound. The two and half hours never dragged.
I particularly enjoyed the costumes which seemed rooted in the period, but heightened and stylized.
I don’t know if Broadway is in the market for a Chekhov revival, but this seems ready to go. Of course, The Goodman already has Good Night Oscar and likely Tommy (starts this summer) headed to NY. |
