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There is an expectation that comes with a production of Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard. Conjuring images of stoic, yet passionate Russian aristocrats, the audience feels like it knows what it is in for. With the Dublin Theatre Festival’s latest production however,  this is not to be the case. Belgian company tgStan rip open Chekhov’s play, exposing its structure with Brechtian aplomb. The set itself is exposed in a literal sense, with the wings in full view. If there is one thing that tgStan don’t want you to forget, it is that THIS IS A PLAY. The Cherry Orchard unceremoniously begins in this light, with the actors asking the audience if they are ready. The company moves almost like clock figures, embodying a self-conscious high energy. Often spoken out to the audience, dialogue takes on a narrative quality.  There is a sense of disjoint between the language and the action of the piece, as when Yasha proclaims blankly “I think I am going to faint”, rendering the action of the sentence defunct. In the blurb for the production actors are not named, but rather credited as a collective unit of creators and performers. This is telling in the development of the piece itself. The cast moves in synchronicity, tying the threads of the story together in a single kinetic impulse. For this the production should be commended.

In such a structurally conscious performance, however, some of the poignancy of the play is lost. The cherry orchard itself is not made real for us, nor is the attachment to it. Rather, it is the construction of the space itself that is brought to light. This is not necessarily a good or bad thing, but it is a thing. There is one moment in the play in which this general rule is proved wrong. Lyuba’s first encounter with Trominov is palpable in its disjointed pain, as Lyuba is brought back to the loss of her son. Lyuba hits her mouth, trying to manage the level of emotion that the world constructed by the production does not allow her to feel.

TgStan’s production is one committed to its concept. It does what it does, and it does this well. Seeing it in the hope of being drawn wholly into a world far away from our own, however, will leave audience members disappointed. The production is thoughtful and fresh, if not always enjoyable. The Cherry Orchard leaves the audience with a final sense that, as its character Lopakhin puts it: “I’m only imagining it.”