THEATRE /with Matthew Myers
Richard Roxburgh and Cate Blanchett star in Chekov’s The Present.
The Present An unfinished Anton Chekhov play is adapted into a gift for Cate Blanchett – and it’s already sold out! ONE OF THE most acclaimed
playwrights in history is Russian, Anton Chekhov (1860-1904). His plays include The Seagull, Three Sisters and The Cherry Orchard, but his piece about a character named Mikhail Platonov attracts special attention, mainly due to the fact that it was never completed. Often known as Platonov, this play has been translated and performed around the world in various guises and interpretations. A Country Scandal, Wild Honey, Fatherlessness and Piano are some of the different titles applied over the years. Written early in Chekhov’s career, the complete version is actually five hours long, and when the actress whom Chekhov had in mind turned the work down, he tossed it aside in favour of writing other works, 36 DNA
while simultaneously working as a physician! The unpublished play, originally written in 1878, was only published in 1923 after its discovery in a Moscow bank safety deposit box. Now, nearly 140 years after Chekhov first put quill to paper, Australian playwright Andrew Upton puts his own spin on the project, aptly-named The Present. In case you’re not up to speed, Upton’s wife is Cate Blanchett and for the past five years they have been Artistic Directors at Sydney Theatre Company (STC). Upton’s adaptation of Chekhov’s work adds to an impressive list of his updates on classics including Hedda Gabler, The Cherry Orchard and Cyrano de Bergerac. But many will be eagerly watching double Oscar-winner Cate who plays The Present’s
female lead, Anna Petrovna. Add to the mix Richard Roxburgh (TV’s Rake) as Platonov, with direction from Tony Awardnominated John Crowley and we have a truly great and magical experience for Aussie theatregoers. It’s not the first time Blanchett or Roxburgh have trod the boards together at the STC. In 2010 they appeared in Uncle Vanya, also written by Chekhov and directed by Upton, and it’s a formula many are eager to see repeated. For Cate, the STC has held a long and beloved association. Her first role out of drama school was 1993’s Oleanna opposite Geoffrey Rush. She’s gone on to either direct or perform in 13 productions, one of her most noted being 2009’s A Streetcar Named Desire, directed by legendary Norwegian actress Liv Ullmann. The production toured to Washington DC, while several other Blanchett efforts also travelled to New York and Europe. One of the great things about
dramatic theatre is the ability to pull in big names. Recent examples include Helen Mirren (The Audience), James Franco (Of Mice And Men), and Bradley Cooper (The Elephant Man). While star power is a seat-filler, the greater and more genuine benefit for both actor and audience is the art of sharing a performance. Theatre tells a story and great theatre leaves those on the other side of the fourth wall touched by
The unpublished play was discovered in a Moscow bank safety deposit box… the experience. It’s at the heart of any Tennessee Williams, Somerset Maugham, Oscar Wilde or Anton Chekhov play. Talented writers, directors, actors and crew are all well-aware of this, and in the case of The Present, we can expect allround gold. MORE: The Present is playing at the Roslyn Packer Theatre Walsh Bay, Sydney. Go to sydneytheatre.com.au