Veteran Broadway, Hollywood and TV actress Diane Lane will play prima donna Ranevskaya in the previously announced Broadway revival of Anton Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard, being presented in a new adaptation by playwright Stephen Karam (The Humans, Sons of the Prophet).
It will be a homecoming of sorts for Lane, who made her Broadway debut in 1977 playing a child in a revival of the modern classic that starred Irene Worth (with Meryl Streep playing the maid).
The Cherry Orchard will begin previews September 15, 2016, and open October 16 for a limited engagement at the American Airlines Theatre.
Following his recent success with The Humans, Pulitzer Prize finalist Karam returns to Roundabout Theatre Company with this new interpretation, which will be directed by Simon Godwin, who makes his Broadway debut following two acclaimed productions at the National Theatre in London.
Here's how Roundabout describes the play: “Set in Russia at the turn of the 20th century, The Cherry Orchard chronicles a noblewoman's return to her family estate after a five-year absence to escape troubling memories of her son's death. Lyubov Ranevskaya arrives home to find the cherry orchard in full bloom, but the finances of the estate on the verge of ruin. Lyubov and her brother, Gaev, find themselves scrambling to retain a vision of gentility amidst a climate of huge social and economic transition.”
Lane has earned Screen Actors Guild, Golden Globe and Oscar nominations for her career’s work. She most recently starred opposite Bryan Cranston and Helen Mirren in Jay Roach’s film Trumbo, whose cast was recognized by SAG with its Best Ensemble nomination. Lane was hailed as Best Actress in 2002 by the New York Film Critics and National Society of Film Critics and received Academy Award, Screen Actors Guild and Golden Globe nominations for her starring role as an adulterous wife in Adrian Lyne’s critically acclaimed film Unfaithful.
In 2015, Lane returned to the New York stage in Lincoln Center’s world premiere of Bathsheba Doran’s play The Mystery of Love and Sex, directed by Sam Gold, and earned raves for her performance in Tennessee Williams’ Sweet Bird of Youth at the Goodman Theater in Chicago. She received Emmy, Golden Globe and SAG Award nominations for her leading role in HBO’s Cinema Verite, co-starring James Gandolfini and Tim Robbins, and starred opposite John Malkovich in Disney’s Secretariat, directed by Randall Wallace.
The rest of the cast is yet to be announced.
Tickets can currently be obtained only by Roundabout subscribers and donors. Starting June 20 tickets will be available by calling (212) 719-1300, online at RoundaboutTheatre.org , and in person at Roundabout’s American Airlines Theatre Box office (227 West 42nd Street). Single tickets range in price from $57-$142.
