Mon. November 22, 2004
By John Olson
Early in Chekhov's Cherry Orchard, the character Gaev pays tribute to a bookcase owned by his family for the past 100 years by noting the great ideas which have sat on its shelves for the previous century. In the 100th anniversary year of this play, which concerns the difficulty of a formerly wealthy Russian family in adapting to the decline of the aristocracy, Steppenwolf honors it with a production that amazingly continues the piece's contribution to innovation in theatrical technique while remaining entirely respectful of the classic.
Sheer proximity of the audience to the actors adds to the realism of the piece as well. The Upstairs space seats just 253 and in this seating configuration, no one is more than seven rows from the playing area. Seated on risers of only five to seven rows, most of the audience is close to eye level with the actors, increasing our feeling of inhabiting the same space as the characters. The large playing area and our nearness to it also give Ms. Landau the ability to work with a unusual visual depth of field, compared to a traditional proscenium staging which can flatten out the picture, or even compared to in-the-round or thrust staging that typically has less space in which to work. The playing area allows Landau to sometimes place the characters apart from each other at great distances, implying a sense of isolation between them.
Noted Chicago classical actor Guy Adkins is the silly bookkeeper Yepihodov and provides solid comic relief in the moments his character bumbles about the stage. Ned Noyes, a young Chicago pro who has worked extensively at the Chicago Shakespeare and the Court theaters, is a suitably scruffy and verbose student-revolutionary. Joining these ranks are a number of young non-Equity professionals who fit right in with their castmates. Elizabeth Rich is particularly affecting as Lovey's adult adopted daughter Varya, who should marry the rich merchant Lopakin. Chaon Cross is a lovely and wise-for-her-years daughter Anya, and Ben Vicellio is suitably snaky as the young cad Yasha. Anne Adams as the naïve young maid Dunyasha and Leonard Kraft as the 87-year-old servant add gentle laughs on opposite ends of the age spectrum.
This Cherry Orchard uses a new translation by Steppenwolf's associate artistic director Curt Columbus, who has now translated Chekhov's four major plays. (Columbus explains in program notes that there are no articles in the Russian language - hence the title of this production forgoes the customary "The" before "Cherry Orchard.") Columbus succeeds in making the language more accessible, but a few anachronisms early in the first half create some momentary confusion. When Lopakin describes his father as a "hick" (a word which seems to sound particularly American), or when Gaev complains of another character, "It's always about him, isn't it?" it seems unclear if he is trying to establish a more contemporary voice for Chekhov. However, the beautifully detailed costumes by Jennifer Roberts and the relative formal tone of speech used by the actors establish a period much earlier than today.
The Upstairs theater used for Cherry Orchard has been a venue for "experimental" and smaller productions of the company and its guests. Cherry Orchard is the first regular subscription show have performed in the space. (They even have a note in their newsletter to tell their subscribers where to find the elevator that will take them up to the Upstairs theater.) To give subscribers sufficient access, Cherry Orchard will have an extended run of 18 weeks. It is a rare opportunity to see a production of such scope in such an intimate space, and to share with Chekhov's an exploration of the possibilities of theatrical technique.
Cherry Orchard will run through March 5, 2005 at the Steppenwolf Upstairs Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted St., Chicago. Performances are Tuesdays - Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., Saturday and Sunday matinees at 3:00 p.m. Additional matinee performances will be given on four Wednesdays, including January 19 and 26, and February 2, 9 and 16 at 2 p.m. The performance on Wednesday, December 22 will be sign language interpreted for the deaf and hard of hearing. The performance on January 16 will be audio-described for the blind and sight impaired Tickets are $20 - $60, with $20 rush tickets available one hour before each show. Tickets available online at www.steppenwolf.org by phone at 312-335-1650 or at the box office.
Photo: (by Michael Brosilow) Amy Morton and Yasen Peyenkov in Cherry Orchard at the Steppenwolf.
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