Chekhov well done

Chekhov well done

Chekhov in Yalta

By John Driver and Jeffrey Haddow

Directed by Kevin Jackson

The New Theatre, Newtown, Sydney

Reviewed by Emlyn Jones

The play is a comedy about the visit of members of the Moscow Arts Theatre to Chekhov's villa by the sea. The talented cast succeed in creating the illusion that we are really witnessing the invasion of a quiet household by a band of actors.

Elaine Hudson is enchanting as Olga Knipper, leading lady of the Moscow Arts and in love with Chekhov, played by Mark Butler, who conveys well Chekhov's dry wit. His fits of coughing remind us that he is in the last three or four years of his life. His dilemma is knowing the state of his health: should he marry Olga?

The play not only sheds light on the life of Chekhov and his relationship with the Moscow Arts Theatre, but also suggests the pre-revolutionary unease of Russian society of this period.

It is undoubtedly one the most interesting plays of the present Sydney season.

From GLW issue 86