Somewhere in a maze of highway out by the Pentagon there is a side-road, and down that side-road - through the overgrowth and past an abandoned car and a moldy couch - is a crumbling brick building with the word "PLAYHOUSE" in giant letters painted across it. This building has been the home to the Washington Shakespeare Company (WSC) for the past 13 seasons.
Through the door, with its panes plastered with pages from colorful magazines, is one of the most original theater spaces one has ever seen. The lobby is decorated with old, foam set pieces and odd, modern art. Actors sprint, shirtless, from the bathrooms on one side of the lobby to the main stage on the other, offering hurried apologies as they pass.
On Jan. 15, WSC launched a one-month run of "The Cherry Orchard," by Anton Chekhov. But, in keeping with the vibe of the building and the lobby, this "Cherry Orchard" is hardly the classical work of Russian realism one might expect.
While a historical staple in the world of the theater, "The Cherry Orchard" is rife with opportunities for new approaches. WSC directors Christopher Henley and Gaurav Gopalan adopted a comedic and unique angle through an avant-garde translation by Laurence Selenick.
The play takes place on an old country estate where debt forced Ranevskaya, a landowner, to search desperately for some way to preserve the family home and, more importantly, the cherry orchard, which holds a special place in the memory of many family members.
The set, designed by Elizabeth Jenkins McFadden, features a large, white arch in the middle of a four-sided stage reminiscent of an angular puzzle piece. Just below the front edge of the stage sits various objects from different times and places, from a '60s-style chair to a 19th century rocking horse.
Various influences of the world pervade beyond the set. Zoe Cowan's costume designs include everything from rich, Russian lace to speakeasy pinstripes while David Crandall's sound design spanned from classical Chinese percussion to the Eagles' "Take It Easy." The cast came from similarly diverse backgrounds, putting the cherry on top of this immensely broad, world theater production.
Directors Henley and Gopalan obliterate Chekhov's traditional realism, weaving together a seemingly endless series of moments into a nothing-connects comedy reminiscent of nothing, save for the lobby between the mainstage and the bathrooms.
Extremely active performances keep the audience engaged as the moments wind their way. Every character was fully realized with a set of habits or with a roaming task. Firs, an ancient valet from the prosperous days, played by Richard Mancini, mumbles to himself throughout the entire show, and, in the final act, Trofimov, a university student, searches for minutes throughout the entire theater for his galoshes.
Adam Segaller's portrayal of Lopakhin, the peasant-turned-businessman who purchases the cherry orchard, blends activity with grounded emotion, lending largely to the emotional climax of the piece. Most other performances left realism untouched - a trend in the show - in favor of a wise, melodramatic style.
At the end of the run, WSC will be abandoning their abandoned warehouse for a new abode in Rosslyn. Experience this wide-eyed exercise in the surreal before nature engulfs it and history turns the page.
But drive - don't try to walk. And don't go alone.
"The Cherry Orchard" will play through Feb. 15. Information on student ticket discounts can be obtained upon request. For performance dates and other information visit www.washingtonshakespeare.org.
You can reach this staff writer at thescene@theeagleonline.com.
