Fathers and Sons in Concert
Fathers and Sons
Backstage
Victor Gluck
December 9, 2003
Although Brian Friel's skillful adaptation of Ivan Turgenev's novel "Fathers and Sons" had a successful run at Britain's National Theatre in 1987, it has not had a New York performance until now. TACT (The Actors Company Theatre) has corrected that wrong with an exquisite staged reading under the direction of Stephen Hollis that showed the play off to its best advantage.
Considered Turgenev's greatest novel and one of the finest in Russian literature, "Fathers and Sons" is set in rural Russia during the political ferment of 1859. Arkady Kirsanov, an idealistic young graduate, returns home to his father's country estate with his friend Yevgeny Bazarov, a fierce young revolutionary. The nihilist immediately tackles the values of Arkady's Uncle Pavel, who upholds the old aristocratic traditions. When the two young men meet Madame Odintsov, a widow, and her beautiful younger sister, Katya, their beliefs are tested.
Friel's adaptation is able to include much of the debate between the generations without turning didactic. Performed in seven scenes covering six months, Hollis was able to make the play move swiftly along, always a problem in adapting Russian novels. The beautiful original music by David Macdonald added immeasurably to the 19th-century atmosphere, as did David Toser's period costumes.
Not only did the brilliant cast bring their characters to life, but they also made them quirkily their own. Jamie Bennett's dewy-eyed Arkady and Sean Arbuckle's irritating nihilist provided an interesting contrast. Sam Gregory's ineffectual father, David Staller's effete aristocrat, and Nora Chester's eccentric Princess Olga were all memorable. Among the women who fell in love with Bazarov, Francesca Di Mauro, Mary Bacon, and Ashley West gave each a different slant. John Horton and Lynn Cohen as Bazarov's parents made us see them through their son's mocking eyes, as well as his love for them.