All too often, productions of Anton Chekhov's seminal play, The Cherry Orchard end up as a three-ring circus of disjointed character shtick. So it's cause to celebrate that Richard Nelson's new translation/adaptation keeps the action flowing. Better yet, Huntington Theatre artistic director Nicholas Martin marshals his star-laden cast in such a way that everyone shines, most notably Kate Burton as the beleaguered Madame Ranevskaya, whose unwillingness to sell her beloved estate leads to despair.

A sense of imminent, inescapable loss looms throughout the play, as it should (and Ralph Funicello's time-worn nursery and birch-encircled cemetery grove serve to reinforce the mood). However, Ne[...]