By Martin Kilp…
More than a century after its premiere, Anna Christie remains a sturdy and affecting story
Michelle Williams leads a richly textured revival of Eugene O’Neill’s Anna Christie, delivering a performance that is both commanding and quietly selfless. What’s remarkable is how fully she disappears into the role of a 21-year-old Midwestern woman whose life has already weathered more than most. Williams approaches the character without vanity or hesitation, trusting the audience to meet her where the story lives, and the production around her rises to that level.
St Ann’s Warehouse reconfigures its space into a three-sided amphitheater, with the audience perched on bleachers at eye level with the actors. The effect is immediate and immersive, especially as the cast begins assembling the set in a wordless pre-show ritual that unfolds fifteen minutes before curtain. Even Williams joins in, grounding the evening in a sense of shared labor and communal storytelling.
The ensemble matches her depth beat for beat. Mare Winningham brings flinty warmth to Marthy Owen, and Brian d’Arcy James gives Chris Christopherson a beautifully calibrated mix of humor, longing and seafarer’s weariness. His Swedish-inflected pronunciation of “Anna” adds an unexpected layer of authenticity and texture. The cast functions as a true collective, each performance strengthening the others rather than competing for attention.
Production design leans into the story’s maritime spirit with fog, grit and sudden bursts of physicality, including moments of shattering glass that jolt the audience back into the play’s rough-edged world. The pacing is tight, the two acts moving quickly without sacrificing emotional clarity.
More than a century after its premiere, Anna Christie remains a sturdy and affecting story, and this revival trusts both the material and the performers. It’s rare to see an actor of Williams’s stature in such an intimate setting, and the result is a production that feels both classic and freshly alive. A trip to Dumbo for this is well worth it, with Time Out Market and the waterfront steps away to round out the night.
The production is scheduled to run from Nov. 25 to Feb. 1, with a two-week break during the winter holidays, in a 450-seat theater at St. Ann’s Warehouse in Brooklyn Bridge Park.
Photos: Production
