The Present
Closed 3h 0m
The Present
74

The Present NYC Reviews and Tickets

74%
(265 Ratings)
Positive
70%
Mixed
23%
Negative
7%
Members say
Great acting, Slow, Disappointing, Absorbing, Ambitious

About the Show

Two-time Oscar winner Cate Blanchett and Richard Roxburgh succumb to the intoxicating power of lust and obsession in the Sydney Theatre Company’s adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s first play, 'Platonov.'

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Show-Score Member Reviews (265)

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127 Reviews | 22 Followers
70
Ambitious, Confusing, Great acting, Absorbing, Disappointing

See it if You love Cate Blancett and are a Chekhov fan.

Don't see it if You have difficulty keeping track of complicated family relationships and want to stay awake during a painfully slow first act.

153 Reviews | 66 Followers
70
Ambitious, Clever, Funny, Great acting, Disappointing

See it if you love a fun drunken dinner party lead by a fiesty wonderful blanchett. lacks a bit of focus but you're never bored.

Don't see it if it's a bit unfocused and all over the place.

112 Reviews | 51 Followers
70
Ambitious, Great acting, Intelligent, Intense, Disappointing

See it if Chekhov filtered through an Australian sensibility will keep you amused during long meandering play. Cate & Richard excel in endless play.

Don't see it if Chekhov is only a Star Trek character and long philosophical speeches will send you into the Final Frontier (the space between your ears).

215 Reviews | 34 Followers
70
Great cast, Overly long, A nighttime soap opera (think dallas) with chekhovian angst

See it if you are a Chekhov completist, interested in an early version which hints at later works.

Don't see it if you'll be disappointed that it isn't The Seagull.

67 Reviews | 12 Followers
69
Confusing, Disappointing, Insipid, Banal, Slow

See it if you want to see Cate Blanchett live on stage.

Don't see it if you want to see a well written rewrite of a Chekov play. Wait for a revival of "Wild Honey"

59 Reviews | 20 Followers
69
Slow, Disappointing, Great acting

See it if You wanna see Cate Blanchette on stage or you're a fan of Chekhov style theatre.

Don't see it if The play moves very slow and has lots of dialogue. Many scenes are meant to be boring and are very long and boring. Nerred more Cate B.

66 Reviews | 30 Followers
69
Banal, Entertaining, Great acting, Raunchy, Slow

See it if you are willing to take a fairly entertaining adaptation of a Chekhov play at face value, and not look deeply at why anyone does anything.

Don't see it if you need to look beyond the entertainment, where you find that there's no plot and everyone just complains about everything!

54 Reviews | 8 Followers
68
Disappointing, Cliched, Indulgent, Overrated, Banal

See it if you wish to watch the great Cate Blanchett in person.

Don't see it if you're sick of over-indulgent Russian plays that drones on after 1 hour and devolves into simple absurdity.

Critic Reviews (60)