The Sydney Theatre Company has their eyes set on Broadway and they plan to bring a present with them. It has been announced that the company will bring “The Present” — an Andrew Upton adaptation of one of Anton Chekhov’s earlier plays that was never finished nor titled — to New York later this year.
“The Present,” which has been referred to as “Platonov” in the past, takes place in the post-perestroika Russian countryside. The play revolves around the painfully sardonic schoolteacher Mikhail Platonov, who, despite being married to Sasha, has caught the eyes of several other women. Everyone comes together to celebrate the 40th birthday of one of these suitors, Anna Petrovna.
Cate Blanchett — who serves as co-artistic director for the Sydney Theatre Company — will play Anna Petrovna, while Richard Roxburgh will play Mikhail Platonov. This marks both actors’ first forays into Broadway production. No other casting decisions (or an opening date) have been revealed yet.