Anna Karenina review – Tolstoy’s tragedy fizzes with theatrical brilliance

Chichester Festival theatreNatalie Dormer is exceptional in the title role while Phillip Breen’s production reflects the scope of the novel’s ambition, though the story never fully reaches its emotional depthsThe stampede of actors making their way from screen to stage continues with Natalie Dormer’s return to the boards as the lead, tragic figure in Leo Tolstoy’s story of one aristocratic unhappy family.She is exceptional in the part of Anna, inhabiting the boldness, insecurity and anger of the discontented wife seeking her freedom through romantic passion. But there is little chemistry in her relationship with Vronsky (Seamus Dillane) – the rakish military man for whom she leaves her loveless marriage, and he is a non-character, left uncoloured. Continue reading...

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