Word: platonov
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...rejected, perhaps because its diffuse narrative would take six to seven hours to stage, he destroyed his manuscript. Another copy, found after his death, has given rise to several adaptations. Frayn's, which lasts 2 1/2 hours, shifts the focus from the leading lady to a man, the schoolteacher Platonov, and provides a wondrous star turn for Ian McKellen, who won a 1981 Tony Award for his portrayal of Salieri in Amadeus...
...cellos and sad small talk ("If you think this place is dull when you're here you should be here when you're not here"); the second half is flat-out farce with the tincture of domestic tragedy coloring the night sky. Ian McKellen is fine as Platonov, the country schoolmaster whose bitter gaiety attracts women to him like flies to wild honey. But the true star of Christopher Morahan's production-and, these days, of the entire National Theater-is Designer John Gunter. His garden and woodland sets provide the perfect trysting place for sobriety...