A. Chekhov’s The Darling
Michael Chekhov Master Teacher Lisa Dalton brings her solo show Anton Chekhov’s controversial story of The Darling to the stage using Michael Chekhov’s technique.
Booking now for Spring 2018-Fall 2018
The Darling Press Kit
Here’s a Review that sums it up: New York International Fringe Festival, 2011 WWW.CURTAINUP.COM
A. Chekhov’s The Darling: Although there’s lots of dismaying nonsense at this year’s Fringe Festival, A. Chekhov’s The Darling, as performed by the accomplished Lisa Dalton, is not among the silliness. This dramatization of the author’s 1898 short story is appropriately slow, sprawling, and leisurely. Cleanly directed by Victor S. Tkachenko, you won’t be jiggled or massaged with any special effects or theatrical gimmickry. But then why mess with Chekhov? He is a master of continuous revelation, and his Darling is both a poignant love story and philosophical inquiry into a human soul. The story follows the life and mind of Olenka, a woman who was “always fond of someone, and could not exist without lovingTheDarlingPressKit10-12.” But there’s a deeper and more disturbing premise lurking beneath the surface narrative. Olenka’s nickname “Dushechka” derives from the Russian idiom meaning a “total lack of one’s own personality and identity.” And there is the rub! Is the protagonist actually a reflection of pure love and dedication? Or merely a human parasite who must subsume her life in another’s identity? Chekhov would be proud of this solo production with its authentic-looking Russian Samovar, straightforward retelling of his tale (new translation by Victor S. Tkachenko), and Dalton’s fine and humane acting. There are splashier, flashier, and more eye-catching shows at the Fringe this year. But The Darling, as Leo Tolstoy once aptly described it, is a “pearl.” 75 minutes. [Donovan]The Internet Theater Magazine of Reviews, Features, Annotated Listings http://www.curtainup.com/fringe11.html#Darling
The Darling Press Kit
Now Available for booking Fall 2015 and Spring 2016
