THE CHERRY ORCHARD Previews- Page 4

[EvaLyn]

Posted: 9/19/16 at 12:08am

Is anyone going to the Hiptix Party for this on Sept 29th (Thursday)?  Does anybody know if the party is before or after the performance?

[LimelightMike]

Posted: 9/19/16 at 12:16am

Might ANYONE be able to talk about the set design, and more specifically, WHY they took out seats in Row AA of the orchestra?

[@z5]

Posted: 9/21/16 at 1:47am

Has Diane Lane signed afterwards at all as of yet?

[n2nbaby]

Posted: 9/21/16 at 1:54am

I'm almost positive that I read here that she never does the stage door, though I may be wrong.

[jbird5]

Posted: 9/24/16 at 6:17pm

The play is staged on what looks to be a large tree stump. The bark of the tree stump extends into the first row at points. I was one who had my seat moved (to row A).

i actually enjoyed it. Being my first Chekhov I didn't have any prejudices about how he should be handled. The fact that everyone seemed to be doing his/her own thing seemed very .... Russian. After all, the family is told how they can save the estate but ignore the advice and continue on as they always have. Russian society collapses.They would have lost it anyway.

i thought the cast was fine mostly. I found Diane Lane's delivery a bit stilted but I guess that's a choice. I don't think Joel Grey brought much to his role but he gets entrance applause. Tina Benko was great. Tavi Gevinson was very good and is turning into a beautiful young woman. Chuck Cooper stole every scene he was in. All in all a very enjoyable day/night at the theatre.

[VotePeron]

Posted: 9/26/16 at 6:32pm

Anyone been in the past few days? It's on TDF and I did initially really want to see this...

[Joviedamian]

Posted: 9/26/16 at 6:52pm

My friend saw this last week and said he loved it. But he hated Hamilton.

[sppunk]

Posted: 9/27/16 at 10:39am

What's the runtime for this? We are seeing it in a few Sunday's (2 pm curtain time) and hope to make the 5:17 pm train home (the next one isn't for another three hours). 

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 9/27/16 at 10:44am

I think it was about 2 and a half hours long, including intermission. 

[uncageg]

Posted: 9/27/16 at 10:53am

Seeing it this evening.

[AC126748]

Posted: 9/27/16 at 10:54am

I was on the street by 4:30 after a Saturday matinee, and that includes a post-show trip to the bathroom. You should be fine to make your train.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 9/27/16 at 11:00am

Did you enjoy the show, AC126748?

[AC126748]

Posted: 9/27/16 at 11:06am

It doesn't all work, but I definitely enjoyed it more than most of the commentators on this thread. I thought Lane gave a solid performance and that Harold Perrineau was memorable as Lopakhin. As productions of Chekhov in general, and The Cherry Orchard in particular, go, I've certainly seen much worse.

[sppunk]

Posted: 9/27/16 at 10:04pm

Jordan Catalano said: "I think it was about 2 and a half hours long, including intermission. 

 

"

Thanks! 

[uncageg]

Posted: 9/27/16 at 11:23pm

I was really hoping I would post tonight that I really enjoyed it, but I can't say that. It wasn't the worst but I nodded a few times and my mind wandered away from the show. I am all for colorblind casting but it didn't work for me in this. It was strange having them speak English with no accents and calling black men by Russian names. A good cast can elevate a mediocre book. I don't think that is possible here. It was my first production of this show and I could sense this was not a good adaptation. A shame because I was looking forward to seeing this. 

[nycgiraffe212]

Posted: 9/27/16 at 11:35pm

What a disappointment. I was a huge fan of Simon Goodwin's production of Man And Superman at The National Theatre with Ralph Finnes. That production ran 3 hours and 30 minutes and went by in a flash. It honored Shaw's text, but updated it wisely. The same can't be said of The Cherry Orchard. 

Like many people commented, Stephen Karam's translation is terrible. It reminded me of Christopher Shinn's Hedda Gabbler at the same theater. Both are talented playwrights who I love, but just failed at their translation. 

The pros: I really loved Nico Muley's music. The musicians were the most lively part of the evening. Diversity in a Roundabout production??? Quelle Surprise, but finally. 

The cons: Oh that set. It was so obvious, a dead tree stump, little chairs in the playroom. It seemed like amateur hour. The costumes... I can't even begin. 

The worst part was seeing actors I know are great turn in terrible performances. Diane Lane was fantastic in The Mysteries of Love and Sex. I loved Tavi in The Crucible. John Glover is amazing. Joel Grey is a legend. I felt embarassed for them. I cringed in my seat. It was like watching friends make fools of themselves.

Did anyone see the Annette Benning prodcution at The Taper years ago with Sarah Paulson, Alfred Molina, Frances Fisher and Jason Butler Harner? Why didn't that come to Broadway?

 

 

 

 

 

[uncageg]

Posted: 9/28/16 at 12:33am

nyc, I am assuming you were there tonight. Did you hear that humming noise that kept popping up? Sounded like an air or heating system turning on and off.

I would assume that the first scene takes place in the nursery but it was awkwardly staged.

I forgot to mention the music. It was nice and I would love to own some of it.

[cglaid]

Posted: 9/28/16 at 9:00am

This is a long shot, but I have a single HIPTIX to the evening performance on Wednesday Oct 12. Anyone willing/looking to swap with me? My schedule is pretty open. Please PM me if interested in a trade. Thank you!

ETA: or I'll transfer it to you if you want to go. Only $25.

Updated On: 9/28/16 at 09:00 AM

[AC126748]

Posted: 9/28/16 at 9:24am

Did anyone see the Annette Benning prodcution at The Taper years ago with Sarah Paulson, Alfred Molina, Frances Fisher and Jason Butler Harner? Why didn't that come to Broadway?

A friend of mine who lives in LA saw that production and really liked it. But I don't remember it getting great reviews, and commercial productions of Chekhov are rarely profitable.

It was strange having them speak English with no accents and calling black men by Russian names. 

It would be more ridiculous to have a troupe of American actors putting on fake Russian accents. It's fairly common for English-speaking productions of Chekhov's plays to simply use the natural accents of the performers. Also, black people have existed in Russia for centuries (Alexander Pushkin was of African descent). This is not the first production I've seen to cast a black actor as Lopakhin.

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 9/28/16 at 9:40am

Thank you, AC.   I often think of Pushkin and Dumas during the perennial how can they cast that European character with a black actor michegas on this board.  Yes, Virginia, there were black people in European history (suddenly it's as if no one ever heard of Othello).  

I'm also fascinated with how some Americans have no issue (nor perhaps should they, particularly in UK companies) with Chekhov characters sounding as if they are straight out of Downton Abbey, but they have trouble abiding them having American accents.

[everythingtaboo]

Posted: 9/28/16 at 10:22am

Saw it last night. Aimless, shapeless, and pointless are really the only words I can use to describe what I saw last night. If I could even see what the writer and director were trying to accomplish, I'd try to give it the benefit of the doubt, but really...it's a mess. I really didn't care at all about the color-blind casting, if it was even a problem, it's the least of its problems. What they really have is a cast mostly acting in separate vacuums trying to find a purpose to everything they're doing. And with the bizarrely awkward adaptation they've been given and seemingly lax direction, it's a mess. 

Updated On: 9/28/16 at 10:22 AM

[Ado Annie D'Ysquith]

Posted: 9/28/16 at 4:18pm

Well, I was considering using Hiptix to surprise my bf since he loves Chekhov, but after reading this thread, I'm kind of glad I went with Holiday Inn instead...

[little_sally]

Posted: 9/29/16 at 9:09am

How is Kyle Beltran in this? He was one of the main draws for me after seeing his excellent performance in The Flick.

[Broadwaybeauty2]

Posted: 9/29/16 at 9:35am

I saw a very early preview. Kyle is very good in this, as is John Glover. The play didn't bother me as much as some suggest here. While I think there are some problems, I also see some very interesting things happening and think it's worth a look. What I wil say is that Harold Perrineau absolutely steals the show as Lophakin, and his third act is Tony worthy. 

Simon Godwin the director has a unique voice that won't be for everyone, but will be a force.

[little_sally]

Posted: 9/29/16 at 9:42am

Broadwaybeauty2 said: "I saw a very early preview. Kyle is very good in this, as is John Glover. The play didn't bother me as much as some suggest here. While I think there are some problems, I also see some very interesting things happening and think it's worth a look. What I wil say is that Harold Perrineau absolutely steals the show as Lophakin, and his third act is Tony worthy. 

Simon Godwin the director has a unique voice that won't be for everyone, but will be a force.

Happy to hear about Beltran, as well as Perrineau. As a HUGE fan of Lost, he's another draw for me.

"