theartsdesk in Moscow: The Sovremennik Theatre Visits London

theartsdesk in Moscow: The Sovremennik Theatre Visits London | reviews, news & interviews

theartsdesk in Moscow: The Sovremennik Theatre Visits London

Chekhov from the horse's mouth as Russia's flagship theatre company shows how

by Tom BirchenoughSunday, 16 January 2011

Chekhov's Three Sisters: 'The kind of attention to detail that marks great productions of Chekhov is to be found in spades'

Twenty-odd years ago, on the eve of the break-up of the Soviet Union, the country’s cultural world was anticipating cardinal changes – anything from a series of closures to a radical alteration in which the way art would be produced under new economic circumstances. Nowhere more perhaps than in theatre, where the established universal nationwide system of repertory companies faced potential implosion.

The tenures of some of these artistic directors - not unlike African despots - end as often as not only with their deaths

Buy

Explore topics

Share this article

The future of Arts Journalism

You can stop theartsdesk.com closing!

We urgently need financing to survive. Our fundraising drive has thus far raised £33,000 but we need to reach £100,000 or we will be forced to close. Please contribute here: https://gofund.me/c3f6033d

And if you can forward this information to anyone who might assist, we’d be grateful.

Subscribe to theartsdesk.com

Thank you for continuing to read our work on theartsdesk.com. For unlimited access to every article in its entirety, including our archive of more than 15,000 pieces, we're asking for £5 per month or £40 per year. We feel it's a very good deal, and hope you do too.

To take a subscription now simply click here.

And if you're looking for that extra gift for a friend or family member, why not treat them to a theartsdesk.com gift subscription?

more Theatre

Dealer's Choice, Donmar Warehouse review - fresh take on a classic about male self-destruction An ideal revisiting of Patrick Marber's play about risking all to move ahead

Much Ado About Nothing, RSC, Stratford - Messina FC scores on the bardic football field Garish and gossipy, this new production packs a punch between the laughs

Ben and Imo, Orange Tree Theatre review - vibrant, strongly acted fiction about Britten and Imogen Holst Let’s make a coronation opera, with bags of dramatic licence

The Great Gatsby, London Coliseum review - lavish and lively production fails to capture the novel's tortured soul The production gets stronger in the second half as the shadows of tragedy begin to loom

The Inseparables, Finborough Theatre review - uneven portrait of a close female friendship De Beauvoir's novel gets an often charming but undemanding staging

Personal Values, Hampstead Theatre review - deep grief that's too brief New play about two sisters, death and hoarding is well written, but feels incomplete

Ghosts, Lyric Hammersmith Theatre - turns out, they do fuck you up Ten years on, Gary Owen and Rachel O'Riordan top their triumphant Iphigenia in Splott

All the Happy Things, Soho Theatre review - deep feelings, but little drama New play about a sibling’s death is well imagined and deeply felt, but a bit slender

Shanghai Dolls, Kiln Theatre review - fascinating slice of history inadequately told Amy Ng's take on two Chinese titans needs more dramatic ballast

Manhunt, Royal Court review - terrifyingly toxic masculinity After his Olivier Award win for Oedipus, Robert Icke turns to a modern “monster”

Midnight Cowboy, Southwark Playhouse - new musical cannot escape the movie's long shadow Two misfits misfire in misconceived show

Thanks for Having Me, Riverside Studios review - snappily performed comedy with a lightweight core Writer-actor Keelan Kember floods the stage with a torrent of gags but few ideas

Follow @theartsdesk