Sarah Paulson, Annette Bening and Lothaire Bluteau are a family of waning aristocrats in Chekhov's 'The Cherry Orchard.'
A Center Theater Group presentation of a play in two acts by Anton Chekhov, adapted by Martin Sherman. Directed by Sean Mathias.
Ranyevskaya - Annette Bening
Gaev - Lothaire Bluteau
Yasha - Peter Cambor
Dunyasha - Jennifer Dundas
Carlotta - Frances Fisher
Trofimov - Jason Butler Harner
Simeonov-Pishchik - Lyle Kanouse
Firs - Alan Mandell
Lopakhin - Alfred Molina
Anya - Rebecca Mozo
Varya - Sarah Paulson
Yepikhodov - Raphael Sbarge
Productions of Chekhov can invest so much in being beautifully restrained that they come off benumbed, and such is the case with this elegant but chilly incarnation of "The Cherry Orchard" at the Mark Taper Forum. Even the star power of Annette Bening and Alfred Molina radiates only sporadic heat in this staging from British director Sean Mathias, who just can't quite shake off a certain permeating preciousness.
It's definitely not a baroque preciousness -- Mathias, best known in America for his Broadway productions of "Indiscretions" and "The Elephant Man," is too emotionally austere for that. It's a feeling that comes when there's too much effort made in holding back: There are too many moments here when characters start to tear up in the midst of a monologue, but then work to avoid over-emoting, because the dimming lights will do it for them.
There are times when the actors, a deep and durable ensemble, shed this dramatic affectation and, perhaps more importantly, when they simply make it work. Molina, as the son-of-a-serf Lopakhin, manages to make fully involving the climactic moment, even though this, too, is somewhat held back. Filled with conflicting emotions, and tipsy on top of it, he informs Bening's Madame Ranyevskaya that he has purchased her estate at an auction held to pay off her family's debts. Even if none of the feelings are quite fully expressed, his mix of compassion, anger and pride makes this easily the most moving moment in a mostly distant show.
A snapshot of a society at a tipping point, "The Cherry Orchard" observes the rise of utilitarians like Lopakhin at the expense of aristocrats like Ranyevskaya and her brother Gaev (Lothaire Bluteau), who are so removed from reality, and so bound to tastefulness, that they can't even acknowledge Lopakhin's proposed solution to their financial difficulties because it seems too tacky.
As a woman of impractical impulses -- Ranyevskaya just can't help giving away money when she's already wasted her fortune -- Bening acquits herself well, but is far better at capturing the impractical than the impulsive.
While Mathias brings clearly to light the societal elements of the play, the surplus of unrequited love in "The Cherry Orchard" never emerges with sufficient intensity. While they spar on occasion with bursts of irritation, the heartache of characters like the smitten servant Dunyasha (Jennifer Dundas), who pines after the absurdly pompous Yasha (Peter Cambor), and the clumsy Yepikhodov (Raphael Sbarge), who falls over himself trying to get Dunyasha's attention, are played for laughs in a production that doesn't quite locate the deeply felt aspect of Chekhov's humor.
The standouts in this regard are Alan Mandell as the ancient servant Firs, whose bad hearing is both funny and touching, and Sarah Paulson as Varya, who plays this most practical of characters with such straight-on seriousness that it does tilt to the comical.
Pulled into a performance by governess/magician Carlotta (Frances Fisher), Paulson registers Varya's embarrassment at participating in such silliness with unforced perfection. But, as with everyone else here, it's the love that fails to feel convincing. Paulson's pas-de-deux with potential husband Lopakhin, which weaves its way throughout the work heading toward one of Chekhov's most heartbreaking scenes, comes off as slightly contrived.
There is some visually stunning work here. Alexander Dodge's set is a deck-like platform of washed-out wood that ramps all the way upward in the back, suggesting the shape of a flower blossom. And Catherine Zuber's exact and flowing but unelaborate period costumes also employ muted colors, made even more muted when James F. Ingalls' lights begin their frequent dimming.
A little less muting, of both the physical and emotional colors, would have made this production more potent, and less precious.
Set, Alexander Dodge; costumes, Catherine Zuber; lighting, James F. Ingalls; sound, Jon Gottlieb; production stage manager, David S. Franklin. Opened, reviewed Feb. 12, 2006; runs through March 19. Running time: 2 HOURS, 30 MIN.
With: Tom Costello, Jeanie Hackett, Heidi Johanningmeier, Tim Monsion, Reed Rudy, Don Oscar Smith, Alison Weller, Alexander Zale
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Date in print: Tue., Feb. 14, 2006