Considered one of the great plays of the modern era, Anton Chekhov’s final play about a family on the edge of ruin is radically reimagined by acclaimed director and dramatist Simon Stone, who returns to the Armory following his blistering Obie-Award winning take on Federico García Lorca’s Yerma (2018). His refreshing adaptation resets the action from Russia to a rapidly transforming modern-day Seoul, South Korea, where the original noble siblings are now corporate heirs struggling to adapt to a world that has moved on without them, suffocated by a rising middle class and wealthy self-made entrepreneurs. Caught between the past and the present, hope and despair, tradition and innovation, the chaebol family is forced to grapple with the inevitable forces of change.
Jeon Do-yeon is well-known for her roles in You Are My Sunshine (2005) and Secret Sunshine (2007), for which she was awarded Best Actress at the 60th Cannes Film Festival and making her the first Korean actor to receive such recognition. The talented actress stars alongside Emmy-nominated actor Park Hae-soo of worldwide Squid Game fame as well as a stellar all-Korean ensemble cast in spontaneous, immediate performances. Equal parts tragedy and comedy, the story unfolds on a masterfully designed set by celebrated architectural designer Saul Kim that features a modern, transparent glass house allowing audiences a voyeuristic peek into the characters’ private lives. An intimate, bittersweet portrait that is deeply South Korean and yet universally moving, this must-see reinterpretation is a timely reflection of loss, change, and social transformation.
Park Avenue Armory