The Cherry Orchard
Harold Pinter Theatre, London
booking until 9th January 2027
The Cherry Orchard was Anton Chekhov’s last play before his untimely death at 44yrs old. It was written in 1903, but the themes of class, grief and progress resonate today.
This was my first time to see The Cherry Orchard and I went in blind with high expectations yet came away conflicted. Later reading that Chekhov wrote the play as a comedy and his first director Konstantin Stanislavski visioned it as a tragedy goes some way to explain this.
This new adaption by Conor McPherson and directed by Ian Rickson is set in Russia around the turn of this century.
Ranevskaya returns to her dilapidated family’s estate after years in Paris grieving for her son. Family and friends gather and discuss how to save the estate from being auctioned due to unpaid debts. Lopakhin, a previous serf who is part of the rising middle class suggests to the family that the large family cherry orchard can be cut down and divided up into a dozen summer cottages. This falls on deaf ears as Ranevskaya, guided by her brother Goev is convinced something will turn up.
Kristin Scott Thomas plays Ranevskaya admirably. She switches from grief to confusion to gaiety effortlessly as she navigates difficult decisions, whilst relishing having her friends and family around. Stephen Mangan plays Lopakhin trying to prove his devotion to the family by urging them to accept progress. Other notable cast members include Karl Johnson who plays a delightful role as the elderly servant Firs, Jeff Rawle as a neighbour who has also fallen on hard times and is on the scrounge. Noof Ousllam plays Yasha a self-promoted valet out for what he can get, and Vinette Robinson playing Ranevskaya’s devoted adopted daughter.
Chloe Lamford’s set design is strikingly. The play is set in the main room of the house. With huge internal doors as a nod to its former grandeur yet visible signs of mould and neglect signify its miserable decline. I must highlight Bruno Poet’s lighting, it lifts the production totally, not only by depicting times of day but as it touches the family gazing over the (unseen by the audience) Cherry Orchard you feel that they are looking at something special.
I enjoyed this production, but was I wowed by The Cherry Orchard?… Unfortunately not. I remain conflicted, I found The Cherry Orchard extremely watchable, this particular adaptation is easy to understand and accessible to a new audience, however I didn’t find the characters relatable and therefore I wasn’t very empathic to their ultimate fate as perhaps I should. I am very glad to have ticked off The Cherry Orchard on my list of ‘classic plays to see’. This is a really good play, very well produced. It just didn’t hit home for me.
Reviewer: Sammi O’Neill
⭐⭐⭐
Photo: Johan Persson