The production of Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard at St. Ann's Warehouse merges classic story elements with contemporary British culture. Director Benedict Andrews introduces modern rhythms, dressing the cast in everyday attire, which adds a layer of relatability. Lyubov Ranevskaya, portrayed by Nina Hoss, embodies the romantic yet impractical nature of the aristocratic matriarch. The nursery setting is vividly described, enhancing themes of nostalgia and change. The performance blurs the lines between actors and audience, creating an immersive experience that challenges traditional stage conventions.
When Lyubov Ranevskaya enters - in billowy rust trousers and a silk blouse covered in white and pink blooms, she kneels and puts her hand to the woven image. "I slept in here when I was a little girl. When I was innocent and pure ... The orchard is exactly the same as it was then. It hasn't changed one bit."
Director Benedict Andrews has adapted the text with a heavy, though not inelegant, push toward contemporary British rhythms and mores, and the ensemble gets the street-clothes-with-a-nod-to-character treatment.
Their resting positions are seats in the audience, where each actor returns when not in a scene, and at the top of the show, you might mistake plenty of them for ticket-buying Brooklynites.
Ranevskaya (Nina Hoss), impractical, romantic soul and cash-poor aristocratic matriarch of Chekhov's doomed country estate, in her flowery blouse; her brother, Leonid Gaev (Michael Gould), a sad clown at heart, in joggers and a tired old T-shirt featuring a cat in Groucho glasses.
Collection
[
|
...
]