Three Days in the Country, National Theatre ****

On the surface of things, Three Days in the Country is an amusing period piece yet Patrick Marber's adaptation of Turgenev's classic A Month in the Country goes far deeper than that. It explores the darker side of love and marriage and Marber, as well as bringing out the laugh out loud comedy in Turgenev, he also brings out the tragedy in the piece and explores the complexities of human relationships. The open stage design from Mark Thompson highlights the public and exposed nature of country life, letting the audience see the mechanics of this operation, with the pianist and prop tables visible and actors sitting on the edge, observing the action. A few days ago, I saw several 'enthusiastic' Doctor Who fans in full costume by stage door which started to worry me that this was going to be a starry production relying on Gatiss and Simm too heavily. However, despite one slightly odd Who nod, it isn't noticably a 'star-studded' production like Man and Superman and, whilst they put in good performances, neither of them dominate the stage. Rather it is Amanda Drew who is the star, playing Natalya with strength and someone who is losing her patience with the stifling nature of country life whilst Belyaev is played by Royce Pierreson with an appearance of control even if in reality he has no control whatsoever. Patrick Marber has made a truly triumphant return to the National with what I think is the greatest of his three projects currently on stage in a well judged and beguiling production.