The Russians, it has often been noted, approach Chekhov in a vastly different manner than the way English theatre-makers do.
While a home-grown production of The Cherry Orchard might be full of laughs, a British take on Chekhov is likely to make heavy classicist weather of the playwright's pre-absurdist ennui. Whether the same reverence applies to Russian directors when taking on Shakespeare's canon remains to be seen, as wunderkind Dmitry Krymov arrives at the Edinburgh International Festival this week with his version of the ultimate seasonal rom-com, A Midsummer Night's Dream.
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