The Cherry Orchard

I can't say I'm a huge fan of "the classics".  But occasionally, I do know it's good to see some of them to expand one's horizons.  And there's one theatre, aptly named, in town that I always head to for my fix - Classic Stage Company.   The last play in their Anton Chekhov cycle (and Chekhov's final play) is The Cherry Orchard.

I did a little reading on Chekhov.  I'm pretty sure most of what I didn't like was his play itself.  Perhaps a bit of it was the mood and artistic interpretation that director, Andrei Belgrader, took too.  Were those 4th wall breaches in the script?  Did we need a dog?  Did someone really need to give up his seat for the old chambermaid?  Well, without much proof (and no desire to go read the script from cover to cover for stage directions), i'll just lay it in equal parts on the author and the director.

What I can be sure of is that the work is epic, poetic, and contains all sorts of oddly comedic characters that are supposed to represent the 19th Century Russian society.  The play is a comedy, but borders on farce.  It's really what today we would call a socio-political satire.  In this case, falling importance and wealth of Russian aristocracy, the freeing of and rise of the peasant class, land ownership, wealth distribution, and the blurring of the lines of class and position in society.  While the play itself seemed oddly formal or maybe a bit stilted (perhaps that is my un-cultured ear), that was completely offset by several fine performances throughout.

The dashing and commanding John Turturro and the beautifully effervescent Diane Wiest held court on the pizza-pie shaped, appropriately stained white canvas stage the entire evening.  The absolutely adorable and boyish Michael Urie made us laugh at his travails, and, not one but, two Waterston sisters took to this stage - Elisabeth as a bold attention seeking chambermaid and Katherine as the dutiful daughter.  Daniel Davis wore a cream suit suit to complement his blazing white hair and Roberta Maxwell deadpanned her absurd lines to much delight.  Josh Hamilton made being a lifetime student look easy and Alvin Epstein charmed us with his elderly gentleman humor.

A truly fine ensemble cast all around and a classic and sophisticated set as I have come to expect from CSC time and time again.  After watching it, discussing it afterwards with my play-going-friend, and now writing this, I can say for sure that I'm still not a classics-lover.  But what I can also say is that when a great ensemble cast such as this is gathered - sometimes the works come to life and resonate in ways you didn't expect.   I won't run out and buy the complete anthology of Anton Chekhov any time soon, but I would encourage you to run down to CSC and get a ticket to see this fine production if you're so inclined.

The Forest

What a satisfying evening in theatre.  The ensemble cast at Classic Stage Company has put on yet another gem.   Headlined by Diane Weist, the entire ensemble was a powerhouse.  The Forest is a play originally by a Russian, Alexander Ostrovsky (think Chekov), which has been adapted by Kathleen Tolan.  It concerns a powerful woman in Russia who has some money, is a little cheap but cares for and raises poor young children from the town.  'Tis the age of arranged marriages, dowries, male dominated business and politics, and many formalities of public life.   It's a romantic comedy of days gone by.

Here we have a young girl who is promised to man whom she does not love.  She loves a boy from the town madly (and secretly) who does not have the dowry to pay to marry her.  There's a poor young man at the estate who is not too smart and can't figure out how to please the mistress of the estate.  The mistress of the estate who is in love with the young boy but for the formalities of life, is afraid to tell him. There are two vagabond actors, one of whom is a long lost relative, a few townspeople and two servants on the estate.

The actors all serve up outstanding performances - from the comedic to the dramatic and you left the theatre with a sense of just having witnessed true professionals delivering the goods.  Bravo!

All My Sons

Arthur Miller's first Broadway play, All My Sons, was a stinging success in 1947 when it made it's debut.  It's the story of an American business man who sold defective parts to the US military with the tragic consequences of the deaths of 21 airmen.  Miller's play was, and is still today, a gripping tale of business and family, commerce and community, and the powerful intersection of them all.

The stellar cast includes:  John Lithgow (Third Rock from the Sun, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, The Retreat from Moscow), Diane Wiest (In Treatment, Law and Order, Edward Scissorhands), Patrick Wilson (Barefoot in the Park, Angels in America, Phantom of the Opera) and Katie Holmes (Broadway Debut).  

The play is an emotional atom-bomb.  Accusations, anger, and angst all buried below the surface in this family and community erupt when the son asks his brother's girl (3 years an MIA soldier and presumed dead) to marry him.  The father's past history of being exonerated in court for selling defective parts to the government come back to haunt him and the entire family.  The neighbors love their jobs in the factory, but silently remain doubtful that the family is innocent.  In a few short hours - ka-boom!  It all crumbles.

This is a limited run on Broadway - so get your hard hat on and catch this one at the Schoenfeld Theatre on Wet 45th Street.   It will all come crumbling down in 16 short weeks!

Third

Wendy Wasserstein's new play was virtually sold out before tickets hit the street. Presented in the intimate Mitzi Newhouse Theater at Lincoln Center, subscribers gobbled up tickets like pigeons on a pile of breadcrumbs at Fairway on a Sunday afternoon! Fortunately, a few tickets were actually released to the public (cancellations and a final block of tix, i assume). So I, too, gobbled one up last week.

And what a good decision that turned out to be. The play is a contemporary drama staring Diane Weist as an uber-liberal, progressive professor at a small "New England" College (unnamed, of course). What's a play wihtout a twist - - right? What we have going on here is that when a young, cute, straight, jock (he's on the wrestling team) from a "Red State" and aparantly "above average means" (Jason Ritter) comes to campus to "learn and grow" in this ultra liberal environment (this college has the first trans-gender dorm in the country) - she instantly closes HER mind and forms an opinion as to his motives, intelligence, and accuses him of plagerism (he could never have written this - it's too intelligent). Reverse Discrimination from, of all people, a supposed open minded Liberal!

Rounding out the story of her life - which is quickly cascading "out of perspective" is a long time friend/professor dying of cancer at the university (Amy Acquino), a daughter rebelling against her mother's academic and social eliteism (Gaby Hoffmann), and having to deal with a father well into advanced Alzheimer's Disease (Charles Durning).

Performed in several individual scenes with limited sets/scenery - the play moved along quickly, made a few more "political" jabs at the "current administration" than i cared to hear- but when the dialogue is so well written and the actors give such rich performances - you tend to just let those pass. Charles Durning, the father, gave what i thought to be an outstanding performance as an elderly man and all the frustration, confusion, and emotion that comes with the disease.

I won't give away all of Wendy's secrets - but I'll just say that despite all the angst - intellect and self awareness wins out - in many ways.

You can try to run and get a single seat (your best bet) - but don't be disappointed if all those subscribers win out. You'll just end up walking home... and trust me... you should be disapppointed at not getting the chance to see this gem.