No one before has led Lopakhin to the purchase of the orchard by the exact path walked by tragic heroes, starting with Oedipus. The credit for this triumph is not Nekrošius' alone. Yevgeny Mironov's work in The Cherry Orchard assures that year 2003 shall be counted for no less than three on his artistic record.

At the center of attention is the character of Yermolai Lopakhin, brilliantly portrayed by Yevgeny Mironov. ... It was after The Cherry Orchard opened in 2003 that many critics hastened to declare him the number-one actor of the Russian stage.

Yevgeny Mironov's flexible artistic composition invariably proves congenial to a director's concept, be it Stein's Hamlet or Nekrošius' Lopakhin. The unwieldy language of metaphor that Nekrošius speaks in the theater becomes effortless, transparent and natural when articulated by Mironov. He has that key ability the Lithuanian master seeks in his actors – the ability to be a mediary between heaven (meaning) and earth (the stage). Mironov divines the innermost secret – the soul of the orchard, and reveals it to the audience in his monologues.

What Mironov does with this part defies a clear-cut explanation. Slowly gathering power, his Lopakhin becomes a pivotal, cornerstone character, the driving force of the whole production – which is precisely what Chekhov had in mind when he insisted on the importance of this role.

One of the show's biggest coups is Yevgeny Mironov in the role of Yermolai Lopakhin.

For this project Nekrošius has assembled not merely accomplished actors but kindred spirits, amongst whom Yevgeny Mironov deserves special mention. His is the first Lopakhin I have seen who is in perfect accord with Chekhov's vision of the character.

In the experimental contest of director vs. actor, the actor emerges victorious. What stays with you after the show is not the language of Nekrošius but the acting of ..., above all, Yevgeny Mironov, who I hope will win the [Golden] Mask this year.

Yevgeny Mironov's Lopakhin. ... Horror, distress, senseless unseemly joy that verges on insanity, pain, desperation – they're tearing him apart. How can a human face convey all these emotions at once? How is it possible to live through them onstage?.. What an incredibly difficult challenge – to play ... a scene of conquest in the key of defeat. And how astonishing the way Mironov meets it, revealing supreme mastery of his craft.

The role of Mironov-Lopakhin is psychologically finished – and justified – to a transcendent degree of perfection.

Yevgeny Mironov has conveyed Lopakhin's heartache so persuasively that the character is forever vindicated.

Lopakhin warrants a separate sentence, for Lopakhin here is today's cream of the crop – Yevgeny Mironov. To be honest, his is the only character that elicits sympathy.

Lopakhin is an outstanding creation of Yevgeny Mironov. One could marvel at his grip on the role in the TV marathon that was The Idiot, but to sustain something like that onstage is by far more difficult. Mironov's performance is highly complex and intricate.

Artists such as Maksakova and Mironov are capable of immersing their individual roles in the vast theatrical context, correlating them with the most celebrated roles of the global repertoire.

Lopakhin is played by Yevgeny Mironov, and his performance is the best in the show. Some call it a work of genius and assert in advance that no one stands a chance against him for this year's Golden Mask, where he is nominated for Best Actor.

The epiphany of the production is, unequivocally, Yevgeny Mironov's Lopakhin.

Much has been said about Yevgeny Mironov as Lopakhin; one can only reiterate. His superbly schooled, savvy physique; the marvelous technique that utilizes every faculty of an artist who can do it all (his vocal "routine" in Act I, inhabited with such phenomenal ease, with absolute clarity, virtuosity and precision, is alone worth an entire show); and, most incredibly – his existence on the edge throughout the whole performance. He never takes a break, every entrance is a point of no return, every word to Ranevskaya is the event of a lifetime. ... In my long-gone student days, our acting teachers talked about "the logic of the congruous surprise", where an actor does something erratic and contrary to what the audience expects, and the next moment you realize that it was precisely the right move, the only one true to the nature of his character. This is the logic ideally presented by Mironov. Given the urgency, the extreme emotional intensity with which he exists onstage, the most extravagant means of expression become acceptable and necessary. ... It is impossible to imagine a situation that Mironov could not justify.

As for Mironov, it can only be said that he is extraordinarily good; he is Russian, and that explains a lot.

With Lopakhin, Mironov tests new grounds for himself and for Chekhov, and the result qualifies as a major artistic event. ... It is Mironov's most mature and masculine effort, delivered not by a boy but a man.

Yevgeny Mironov's work in Act II is transcendent. Merciful Lord, bless Your servant Yevgeny! The things he does, the lifeblood he invests, the secret depths he draws it from and the enraptured way he sheds it – he will deplete himself if You do not support him.

If you take the orchard, you must give up everything else, and that is beyond human strength. ... It's one or the other. Yevgeny Mironov depicts that tragic realization divinely, and I stand by the choice of word: his Lopakhin is the best I have ever seen. It is a work of genius.

I am not the first to call Mironov's Lopakhin a work of genius, but this is the only term that fits.
After this role, Yevgeny Mironov is Russia's greatest actor.


[Translated by Vlada Chernomordik for the Yevgeny Mironov Official Website]