Stage appearances by the great Sophie Okonedo must be treasured for their rarity and she is in fine form in Ivan Turgenev’s bittersweet 19th-century Russian comedy. Compared to her scorching Medea three years ago – where she was isolated on the exposing @sohoplace stage, circled by a prowling Ben Daniels – this is an intimate ensemble affair.
Her twinkly, impetuous, riven Natalya Petrovna is at the centre of the crushes and desires that afflict every stratum of the rural household of which she is mistress, but she doesn’t have to carry the show. Imperious but also girlish, this performance recalls the stage role that preceded Medea: Okonedo’s 2018 Cleopatra at the National that won her a Standard Best Actress Award.
