Writing a review of Breaking String’s production of The Cherry Orchard leaves one with a predicament familiar to so many of Chekhov’s characters—it’s hard to know how to make a go of it. It’s the word processing equivalent of stammering—repeatedly typing then deleting, agonizing over semantics. The final product might seem a bit spare, but not from laziness or lack of thought—in fact, it’s hard to think of much besides this production after seeing it. So here’s a word: this production is good. That adjective may seem blasé, but it’s intended to be anything but. Breaking String’s Cherry Orchard is good in that ephemeral, indefinable way—good, and to find other words would render them dull in comparison to the experience.

The play begins with an arrival. Ranyevskaya (Babs George) returns home to her family estate after a long absence precipitated by the deaths of her husband and son and hoping to reclaim her birthright, if she can. She has been living far beyond her means and the estate is in danger of being auctioned to the highest bidder. Waiting for her is Lopakhin (Matt Radford), the now well-moneyed son of a former serf on the estate. He has a plan that might save her fortunes. However, it includes cutting down the cherry orchard on the estate to make way for summer cottages for the bourgeoisie. Thus begins the quiet battle between the sentiments of the past and the necessities of the present and between inertia and action.

At the helm of this production is Graham Schmidt, who recently completed his MA in Russian Studies at our local seat of higher learning. Schmidt’s success with The Cherry Orchard is two-fold, both as translator and as director. The care and attention to the script was evident throughout the evening. It’s striking by just how much conditional language is in the text. “If”, “if only”, “when”—as if we’re only seeing the exposition, and some grander plot will magically unfold if something would just happen. But in between all the things that happen is something that we call life, and it’s the potential for comedy and tragedy in the everyday moments that is one of the hallmarks of Chehkov’s work. Schmidt’s translation honors this in every sense. In a play where arguably not very much happens, the text is very active and retains its delicious nuance. The plot may be simple, but that does not mean that the play lacks conflict. As director of his own work, Schmidt strikes a harmonious balance between allowing all the wonderful subtleties of character to play out and underscoring the tensions between them.

Helping Schmidt achieve his vision is a cast of great depth. For an actor, Chekhov is dessert. It is a chance to work on text that was the laboratory for most of our modern acting theory. So, it is no surprise that the cast list of this show reads like a Who’s Who in Austin theatre. It should also be said that this is an Equity Member’s Project Code, which means that each of the Equity cast members in the show (four in total) have agreed to forgo their usual salaries to participate. Everyone on that stage is out there for nothing but the love of making theatre. Leading the way is Babs George as Ranyevskaya. As formidable as she is fragile, she has an infectious laugh that’s surprisingly heartbreaking. Her identity is so wrapped up in her homestead that she really (forgive the cliché) can’t see the forest for the trees. In spite of the fact that she still has her brother Gaev (Ev Lunning Jr.), her daughter (Robin Grace Thompson), and her foster daughter Varya (Liz Fisher), she feels that if the orchard is cut down, it will eliminate the very witness of her existence, and threaten the memories of her husband and son. It’s a tremendous performance. Matching her in turn is Matt Radford as Lopakhin. He wears his new fortunes with obvious unease, and in spite of the power it affords him, he remains a bit of a misfit in the changing social order. Radford is at his best here, reserved until the flood of triumph that comes from buying the estate at auction and becoming the owner of the land where his forebears were slaves. But it doesn’t seem to bring the desired happiness—Lopakhin cannot seem to make the expected proposal to Varya, as if neither she nor he really feels deserving of that kind of happiness. As Varya, Liz Fisher has a quiet desperation about her. As she points out, she cannot be the one to propose, and so she buries herself in the management of the house. The rest of the cast is a tight and clean ensemble. Dirk Van Allen is the sweet and doddering Firs, trying to keep everyone warm in their coats. Ev Lunning Jr. hopelessly loquacious as Gaev. Sarah Gay (Dunyasha), David Boss (Yasha), and Noel Gaulin form a low-brow love triangle. Playing the staunch governess with her usual comic precision is Bernadette Nason. Simeonov-Pishchik, played by Rob Matney, is the charming leech of a neighbor. Robin Grace Thompson is optimistic yet grounded as Anya. A special mention goes to Nigel O’Hearn as the tutor Trofimov. His presence onstage was magnetic, and we hope to see more of him.

This world of characters is expertly contained by Rommel Sulit’s set, which has the wonderful feel of being simultaneously inside and outside. Buffy Manners’ costumes, always gorgeous, give special thought to the changing status of the characters, and Adam Hilton’s sound design that really creates the sense of time and place. He takes the phrase “breaking string” and run with it.

The short and the long of it is that every artist in this collective should be proud of their contribution to legacy of Chekhov. This production captures all the felicity and heartbreak that one hopes to get from his drama. It almost certainly takes considerable time to translate a play like this, but here’s hoping that Schmidt and Breaking String will bring us their next offering as soon as they can. Браво!

Filed in Arts & Entertainment and tagged bluetheatre, breakingstring, chekhov, grahamschmidt, thecherryorchard

Comments [rss]