It must have started with a big plan in Simon McBurney's head. The Brit, a master of mathematically precise text theatre full of technical gadgets, saw the amazing floor of the Rabozaal of Amsterdam's Stadsschouwburg and his brain began to work. Something about a backdrop covering the full width of the hall, something about a doll's house, something about a gigantic hair-trigger projection screen that fitted precisely onto a small stage in the middle of that gigantic void. Now just a few actors in it and the miracle would happen. His Cherry Garden, his ode to Chekhov's masterpiece, would make mouths drop open.
Unfortunately, Sunday 16 June at 16:00 that miracle did not quite take off, it turns out. That huge projection screen behind is still there, with scary trees and a nuclear power plant, but the huge heavy HD screen hanging in front of the stage really only serves to indicate beginnings and endings of scenes. Economically quite an expensive solution, but of course that's what subsidies are for: that things can be expensive but unnecessary.
Mop up
Fortunately, we still have the actors, McBurney must have thought. And Chekhov's text. All you have to do, so to speak, is to recite it and you can mop up the room. Purely theoretically, that is true. But then there has to be a team. A bit like football. If everyone is playing for themselves, you lose, unless you have someone like Messi in the striker's box. If he doesn't have his day, you can still lose.
On Sunday 16 June, Gijs Scholten van Aschat did have his day. It is therefore solely due to his unbridled scoring drive that ITA's neatly-conceived Cherry Garden did not totally fail. Because otherwise, it was a rather sad state of affairs. In the ruin of McBurney's grand plans that the stage picture now is, comedy had to be played. But comedy shouldn't have to come from your toes. Comedy has to have the joy of playing and ensemble spirit and that was a bit lacking at ITA. Everyone was playing their own game with the remnants of McBurney's directorial concept. After all, the latter also wanted something with horn effects. Must have been left over from his matchless solo from a few years ago, in which he actually performed a story as a radio play in a giant empty room. Worked perfectly.
Ensemble play
So where did it go wrong? Did the spark not strike at the first meeting between director and cast? Was McBurney intimidated? Or have the top stars of Ivo's Toneelgroep Amsterdam lost their flexibility and can only work when they are allowed to feature in those amazing conceptual stage directions?
Of course, this Cherry Garden could still improve when the actors find each other and a real ensemble emerges. And those who already have a ticket: you don't often see and hear Chekhov so neatly and clearly pronounced in the Netherlands since the Haagsche Comedie disbanded, so kudos to the diction and respect for Chekhov. But, dear people of Toneelgroep Amsterdam, sorry, ITA-Ensemble, you do bring this amateur version of Chekhov to a festival that is of absolute world class. This little work stands out from that. To put it mildly.
Now yes. Better next year.
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