Old library, Mansfield
Wednesday 22nd 1999

A Theatre company should be Judged by its products as well as its process. Frontroom Theatre has displayed their intentions and demonstrated imagination intelligence and courage with their first production, Anton Chekhov's 'The Cherry Orchard'.

This production was handled with wit and pace, the main characters of Ranyevskya ( Linda Turner), Gayev ( Mark Davies) and Lopakhin ( David Savage), produced a reel sense of crumbling grandeur and the passing of the old system. This was only bettered by their vocal attack of and relish for the text.

There was a spirited performance from Jason Zadrozny as the hypercritical political Trofimov. More than just Trofimov's love interest in this production was the staggering clarity of performance from Jo Stendall. She seemed to be able to hold the hands of her irresponsible family and grasp the excitement of the future. She played a key and pivotal role as Anya in Paul Caputa's production.

This was a real display of control as far as the direction of the production was concerned which was never overstated, but light and airy, there seemed no doubt in the directors mind that this was anything less than a comedy. I felt as though we had been transported into a different world as the lives of the characters and their secrets were unveiled.

The comic relief was ably handled by the trio of Yasha (Adrian Louch), Dunyasha (Mel Tatley), and Yepihodov (John Tatley). Special mention needs to be made of the ancient family retainer Firs. Steve O'Toole performed this role with truth and belief, convincing me that the old man would never crossover between nineteenth and twentieth centuries. This company has started explosively, and if you get the chance to see this exciting production you will not be disappointed.

Doug Clark.
The Ticket Web.

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