CHEKHOV IN YALTA
April 24 - May 25, 2014
written by John Driver and Jeffrey Haddow directed by Kim Rubenstein Confined in his villa at Yalta by illness, Chekhov receives a visit by the Moscow Art Theatre who have embarked on a provincial tour with the express purpose of persuading Chekhov to give them his latest play. Famous figures Stanislavski, Danchenko, Gorky, Ivan Bunin, and actress Olga Knipper come together in a play crisscrossed with amorous triangles, battles of ego, high spirits, and melancholic languor reminiscent of Chekhov's own work.
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The entire cast offers wonderfully rich, tremendously physical performances. In particular, Thomas Vincent Kelly as Chekhov demonstrates a true gift for comic timing. Equally appealing are Mark L. Montgomery’s roguish, flamboyant Gorky, Justine Scarpa’s overtaxed and underfulfilled Masha Chekhov, and John Dunleavy’s bumbling, self-absorbed Stanislavsky" |
There’s a lot to admire in Kim Rubinstein’s lively and nicely sculptured production. The acting–especially Dunleavy’s scrappy Stanislavsky, Montgomery’s passionate Gorky and Karen Tarjan as actress Olga Knipper–is extremely strong." |