There are so many interlinking characters in Anna Karenina, that I did play with the idea of drawing a spider diagram to show all the connections. But that’s not to say that this is an overwhelming play in a negative sense. Indeed, this is a very clear, engaging, and in places electric production of Tolstoy’s hefty classic.
Anna (Ony Uhiara), young, beautiful, and vibrant, is married to Karenin (Jonathan Keeble), stuffy, bureaucratic, and old. So it’s no surprise that young Vronsky (Robert Gilbert) catches her eye, and they embark on a passionate affair. You can imagine how Anna’s husband reacts to this.
At the same time, Katy (Gillian Saker), rejected by Vronsky in quite a public way, settles for the lowly Levin (Jonh Cummins). Levin can’t believe his luck, marrying such a beautiful woman, but he soon finds that the love of an attractive woman is not the answer to all his problems.
On the surface, Anna Karenina is a story about love, loyalty, betrayal, and gender roles. But it also about deeper human struggles, such as frustration at the inequality of society, and how capitalism can be potentially damaging. One conversation between Levin and the slightly dim Oblonsky (Ryan Early) concerning how people take things such as bread for granted, and don’t consider how much work goes into producing just one loaf, was particularly illuminating.
But the play is never didactic; Jo Clifford has done a fantastic job of making the work accessible. Having characters introduce themselves (and sometimes their intentions) as they take the stage was a lovely touch, and did not feel condescending.
The initial chemistry created between Anna and Vronsky is remarkable. In a beautiful, poetic dance, Ony Uhiara and Robert Gilbert seem to simultaneously embrace and push each other away. The sheer grace of their movements provide a stark contrast to the pompous, stuffy ball going on around them.
There are some wonderful moments of humour in the play, mostly provided by the absurd, philandering Oblonsky, and Karenin’s misjudged, often overly methodical, attempts at communicating with his wife.
I’ve never read Anna Karenina, so I genuinely did not know what to expect from the play. I easily connected with the characters, and the themes were relevant and interesting. I can appreciate how a piece of Russia literature from the 1870s could be a hard sell, but Jo Clifford’s adaptation felt very current, and the performances were outstanding.
Anna Karenina runs until 2nd May 2015. For tickets and information, please click here.
Image credit – Jonathan Keenan
