In A Month in the Country, characters created by Russian novelist Ivan Turgenev in 1850 are re-imagined with humour and empathy by Irish playwright Brian Friel. Chekhovian atmosphere and Irish melancholy alchemically blend together into this universal ballad, both funny and rueful, about the vicissitudes of love and desire.
At the centre of the story is the magnetic Natalya (Fiona Byrne) who, restless in the country and bored with her life, spins from her adoring husband (Blair Williams) to her faithful lover (David Jansen) to her son’s desperately attractive young tutor (Martin Happer), sending all around her into a state of midsummer madness. This play looks at what happens when just one person stops playing the part they agreed to play and loves the wrong person, in the wrong place, at the wrong time.
Because of its alleged attack on marriage the Russian censor prohibited performance of the play until 1872. It was subsequently revived several times in Russia and has since been produced worldwide. Brian Friel’s adaptation premiered at the Gate Theatre, Dublin, in 1992. The Shaw Festival production is the Canadian premiere. Brian Friel’s Afterplay was seen at The Shaw in 2003.
Considered Ireland’s leading playwright, Friel has been compared to Anton Chekhov and has adapted several of his works. It seems natural for Friel to adapt the work of Turgenev, who has been called the precursor to Chekhov.
The cast also includes Sharry Flett as Lizaveta, Patricia Hamilton as Anna, Marla McLean as Vera, Ric Reid as Shpigelsky and David Schurmann as Herr Schaaf, as well as Michael Ball, Billy Lake, Jesse Martyn, Thom Marriott and Moya O’Connell.
A Month in the Country, After Turgenev is directed by Tadeusz Bradecki, with design by Peter Hartwell and lighting design by Jeff Logue. The stage management team includes Stage Manager Judy Farthing and Assistant Stage Manager Heather Lewis.
A Month in the Country began preview performances Sunday, April 29; opens Friday, May 11; and plays in repertory until Saturday, October 6.
The 2007 season is proudly presented by HSBC Bank Canada/HSBC Bank USA.
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