by Deirdre Donovan

 

Chekhov is always a tough go on Broadway.  But you must admire the British director Simon Godwin, who’s at the helm of the Roundabout’s new production of The Cherry Orchard (at the American Airlines Theatre), for his courage in staging the Russian master’s last play.  But in spite of Godwin’s earnest efforts to make the warhorse breathe again, his new outing of the classic fails to catch fire.

 

Stephen Karam (Yes, he wrote last season’s award-winning The Humans) has penned a new adaptation for this production.  And it was supposed to make this Cherry Orchard more accessible to American ears.  And though Karm did render Chekhov’s text into the American vernacular, and one always “gets” what is going on in the course of the play, his linguistic alchemy fails to keep this production humming.

 

Perhaps the big problem with this show lies in Godwin’s zeal for updating the masterpiece.  Godwin is simply trying too hard to make Chekhov’s play appeal to a 21^st century audience and neglects to trust the innate power of the original work.  In short, he’s attempting to put old wine into new bottles, but somehow in the pouring, the bouquet of the original gets lost.

 

There’s an upside to this production, however.  Theatregoers get to welcome back screen and stage star Diane Lane to Broadway after a 38-year absence (she was in the ensemble of Lincoln Center’s Cherry Orchard in 1977, and earlier that same year, performed in their Agamemnon).  There are also other luminaries on board, namely, Tony award-winning actor John Glover and the legendary Joel Grey (more on the specifics of their acting, later).

In case you missed that day in high school English class when The Cherry Orchard was taught, here’s the story in brief.  Set at the turn of the 20^th century, the actress Lyubov Ranevskaya returns to her treasured orchard to forestall its foreclosure.  In denial about her financial ruin, Ranevskaya refuses to listen to any practical plan to save the orchard.  But when the businessman Lopakhin buys the orchard at the auction, Ranevskaya is finally forced to confront reality.  She and her family pack their belongings and leave the property, listening to their beloved cherry orchard being chopped down.

 

 

Returning to the current production, Scott Pask has created eclectic sets that strongly lean to the contemporary.  In the opening scene, you see a spacious living room that is sparsely furnished with furniture that could fit any time period.  A plethora of mobiles are suspended from the flies, which would be right at home in a Museum of Modern Art exhibit.  Pask’s set, abetted by Donald Holder’s lighting, definitely gives the play a modern look.  But, unfortunately, it fails to convey a central element of The Cherry Orchard:  the political times are in upheaval—and an old world is passing away.

 

Michael Crass’ costumes are all over the map.  Yes, he has conjured up a smart wardrobe for the play’s aristocrats and noveau riche and outfitted the servants in modest attire.  But why does his clothing styles leapfrog through the decades?  In this production, one never knows from one act to the next what the cast will be wearing.  Modern?  Period?  Or a mish-mash of both?  By the time you arrive at the play’s end, is it any wonder that you feel a bit confused by his clashing costume design.

 

The acting is hot and cold.  Lane, in the leading role of Ranevskaya, certainly looks the part of the aristocratic landowner.  But, as the action unspools, she doesn’t fully realize all the nuances of her complex matriarch.  While Lane captures Ranevskaya’s deep feeling for her orchard and her sadness over her 7 year-old son’s death on the property years ago, she never totally disappears into her complex role that requires both flightiness and psychological depth.  John Glover, last seen as Pandarus in the Public Theater’s Troilus and Cressida at the Delacorte Theater, surprisingly plays Ranevskaya’s loquacious brother Gaev with little oomph.  Harold Perrineau, as Lopakhin, executes his role with competence but could add more gumption to the self-made businessman.  Chuck Cooper, as the optimistic landowner Pischik, and Kyle Beltran, as the eternal student Trofimov, both need to sharpen their deliveries.  Only the sublime Joel Grey, as the old retainer Firs, is spot-on here.

 

Having seen a share of Cherry Orchards in New York over the years, Godwin’s production is in need of a fresh concept that stays within the boundaries of Chekhov’s original vision for his play.  Comparisons are odious.  However, Sam Mendes’ Cherry Orchard as part of the Bridge Project at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) in 2012, was far better than this present production.  And Peter Brook’s Cherry Orchard, also at BAM, in 1988, was a standout.

 

What is missing in Godwin’s new mounting of Chekhov’s masterpiece is a strong sense of time and place.  It is a shiny new production with a high-voltage cast but lacks the patina of the old world. 

 

Through December 4^th.

At the American Airlines Theatre, 227 West 42^nd Street, Manhattan.

For tickets and more information, phone 212.719.1300 or visit online www.roundabouttheatre.org

Running Time:  2 hours; 30 minutes with one intermission.