3.5 out of 5 stars

The wildest moment in Benedict Andrews’ audacious modern adaptation of Chekhov’s “The Cherry Orchard” has the cast singing and dancing as an onstage rock band and smoke machine go full blast. As you might infer, the production is not for everyone. Andrews subtracts important fin-de-siecle context from the story of an aristocratic family facing ruin, and adds those flourishes that create excitement. Yet that approach often does little to illuminate the play’s theme of human nature as tragically rigid. Still, Chekhov’s empathy for his damaged characters comes through, and uniformly committed performances make us care about the inevitable outcomes. — Adam Z. Horvath

At St. Ann’s Warehouse, through April 27; stannswarehouse.org. (Reviewed April 3, 2025)