See it if Well Kate and Checkoff make a perfectly fabulous evening of banter and midlife crisis. The cast is sublime and worth ever moment.
Don't see it if If you don't like Checkoff
See it if You want to see an updated Chekov Russian Drama. Cate Blanchett is terrific.
Don't see it if If you don't want to see a 3 hour play. It doesn't seem that long.
See it if you like a great ensemble cast and memorable performances by the two leads and an interesting rewrite of a Chekhov play.
Don't see it if you can't take a complicated storyline and the many characters in a typical old Russian play.
See it if like good acting, or want to like good acting, or are in love with Cate Blanchett, or want to be in love with Cate Blanchett.
Don't see it if you have a short attention span. It's long. Longer than it needs to be. Read more
See it if you like Cate Blanchett, strong ensemble pieces, clever modernization of Chekhov
Don't see it if you like short plays. It's long!
See it if you want a thought provoking play with a superstar actress and don't mind loud noises.
Don't see it if You want something lighter with laughs.
See it if You love good acting by big name actors
Don't see it if You want an good dramatic play.
See it if Enjoy Chekhov. Enjoy multigenerational family/friend dramas. Starts funny and goes deep and dark.
Don't see it if You want something light and uplifting. Are willing to sit through 3 hour play with one intermission.
"A relentless three-hour pile of noisy, pointless and pretentious junk...Nothing makes sense about the text, and though the alterations have shortened the running time, Upton has improved nothing in the process...Scene after scene demonstrates the youthful politics of Chekhov before he learned anything about such matters as character development, plot or narrative cohesion...The play is so bad it seems to be in an unknown language."
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"Upton and Crowley strain to make the play’s late 20th-century makeover contemporary and knowing and cool, but it feels more like punk poseur window-dressing trying to spruce up a soft-rock B-side...It’s only a matter of time before the party ends with a bang — I just wish it was more worth the wait. As hard as it tries, 'The Present' never really makes the case for why Chekhov’s forgotten play should be remembered."
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"Are you willing to endure three hours of boredom in exchange for some occasional moments of radiance from Cate Blanchett?...An ambitious but ultimately futile adaptation by Upton of Chekhov’s long-winded and muddled first play...As directed by Crowley with a spare visual design, 'The Present' is an uneven, uneventful and aimless mess. It gets off to a poor start with a long opening scene that leaves audience members confused regarding the various character relationships."
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"Happily, the Sydney Theatre Company put a contemporary spin on the 19th Century manuscript, turning Chekhov's flawed tragicomedy into a masterful production...It's led by two stellar performances that must not be missed...In Upton's wildly animated adaptation, directed with great gusto by Crowley, truth spills out in waves...Young Chekhov overstuffed his first play, and it is muddled...But just watch as comedy and tragedy collide, and suddenly boredom never felt so entertaining."
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"Upton and Crowley have the benefit of a stellar company of actors...Blanchett dominates the stage like a hurricane: All people and events revolve around her inescapable pull...Crowley shrewdly directs the play like the comedy it was meant to be, drawing humor from the occasionally cheesy dialogue and awkward silences...Through a fresh set of circumstances, Upton captures the spirit of Chekhov's dark humor much better than a more traditional production."
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"Upton's text is thoroughly Chekhovian in the way that heartbreak and farce occupy the same stage; the elegant turns of phrase are his own...John Crowley's direction has a laser-like accuracy for line readings and the bits of business that lay bare each character's agenda, frustrations, and fears, and he is aided by a cast from Sydney Theatre Company who play together superbly; this is currently the most stunning ensemble on a New York stage."
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"Despite sharp-edged direction from John Crowley, decent design, and strong acting all the way around, this is a dull void of an evening...Thank goodness for Blanchett...Her plight as rendered is mesmerizing and trenchant, a cry against outdated perceptions of who women are and what they're capable of, and that leaves you with plenty to unpack. Too bad the rest of 'The Present' is better left wrapped."
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"Upton's 'The Present' is a mixed blessing. On the one hand, it brings the team of Cate Blanchett and Richard Roxburgh to New York for their Broadway debuts, and reintroduces theatergoers to a fairly unknown play by Anton Chekhov. On the other hand, the updating, which is intended to make the play more accessible, creates its own problems and much of the long evening is heavy going. However, Blanchett and Roxburgh make their own fireworks and each act ends with high drama."
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