DENNIS BROE enjoys the political edge of a series that unmasks British imperialism, resonates with the present and has been buried by Disney
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A Cherry Orchard ripe with contemporary resonance
Role-playing: Eva Magyar (centre) as Charlotta
[Jon Rowley] 
STEVE JOHNSON speaks to DJ and singer/songwriter Mark Radcliffe
JAMES WALSH takes advantage of an evening of comedy snippets to pick out which clowns will make it in Edinburgh
MAYER WAKEFIELD is swept up by the tale of the south London venue where music forged alliances across race, class and identity
MAYER WAKEFIELD applauds Rosamund Pike’s punchy and tragic portrayal of a multi-tasking mother and high court judge
FIONA O CONNOR recommends an unflinching depiction of child sexual abuse and its aftershocks, set in a working-class Liverpool family
The Cherry Orchard
Bristol Old Vic
IF YOU are hoping to reconfirm expectations of a lyrical turn of-the-century masterpiece, where inevitable social upheaval on a provincial Russian estate mirrors the mood of the passing seasons and elegiac sentiment prevails, this production of The Cherry Orchard is likely to disappoint.
Director Michael Boyd has worked with Rory Mullarky to produce a fresh, vibrant translation of Anton Chekhov's play, giving it a far more contemporary resonance, while Tom Piper’s in-the-round stage design makes the audience a key element. This is very much a production about performance and communication or, rather, its absence.
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