We take a look a look at what is being said about Benedict Andrews’s production of Chekhov’s play.
The Independent: *** “Bafta-winner Adeel Akhtar and ‘Tár’ star Nina Hoss are excellent, but Benedict Andrews’ clever but annoying contemporary Chekhov revival insists on a grating quirkiness.”
Broadway World: ** “To Andrews’ credit there are moments of symbolic clarity, but they hit such sledgehammer clunk that you can see them from miles away. There’s heart underneath the ornamentation, but it’s buried irritatingly deep. At best it’s a bit pretentious, at worst it’s a meandering waste of a thoroughly brilliant cast.”
Evening Standard: ***** “There’s a risk that the techniques of Andrews and his fellow brilliant iconoclasts Robert Icke and Simon Stone – brusque updating, wrong-footing music, a bold visual concept – might themselves become clichés. But that’s in the future. Right now this is a bold, brilliant distillation of Chekhov, and utterly captivating.”
WhatsOnStage: *** “The sheer energy of Andrews’ approach carries it all along. It’s an enjoyable evening, but Chekhov is barely left standing at the close. It’s not just the trees that have been felled with a chainsaw.”
Time Out: ***** “What Andrews is just plain astonishing at is character and casting. Did Chekhov himself love his inventions as much as Andrews does? In Andrews’s adaptation each of the 12 principle characters feels faithful but fresh, from the desperately vulnerable Liubov to nervy, squeaky-shoed bookkeeper Seymon (Éanna Hardwicke). And truly, what a cast: Hoss and Akhtar are perfect leads, two complicated sides of the same coin. But everyone is spot on: from Gould as the desperately out of touch Leonid to Daniel Monks’s painfully intense Marxist tutor Pyotr and Nathan Armarkwei Laryea’s scene-stealing turn as Yasha’s preeningly obnoxious, Ali G lookalike assistant Yasha (who nonetheless sings a spine-tingling version of Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy’s ‘I See A Darkness’), it’s a wonder to spend time with these people.”
Theatre Weekly: **** “The highlight of the evening has to be a sensational UK stage debut from Nina Hoss, with a nuanced and captivating performance as the grieving and emotionally scarred landowner. Hoss effortlessly captures the conflict of the character; the desire to keep things as they’ve always been, while recognising the damage that would also bring.”
The Stage: **** “Benedict Andrews’ exhilaratingly radical adaptation brings passion and a playful punk spirit to Chekhov’s classic satire of class and capitalism.”
The Cherry Orchard continues to play at the Donmar Warehouse until the 22nd June.