The Cherry Orchard

The subject of Chekhov’s 1904 piece is principally of social change - the tale of an aristocratic family who are forced to auction off their family estate to pay off accrued debts created by mismanagement and extravagance of Ranyevskya’s Parisian lifestyle over the past five years. This includes their beloved cherry orchard which provokes childhood memories of better times. The writing is delving into social change and how it affects those around them. All profoundly serious but within the writing is comedy and this is explored in this well executed production.

The dark open set was fascinating. I very much liked the idea of space saving ideas and no heavy furniture moving, which included chalk drawings of large furniture items on black flats either side of front stage - quietly drawn prior to the action, whilst an on-stage piano was playing a melancholy tune, a was a large bookcase and a grandmother clock appeared. Later the depiction of day and night using the sun and moon appeared. Chairs were strategically arranged in different patterns by the cast throughout the performance, again quietly and efficiently for interior scenes plus each side of stage when not actually performing lines. The stage floor was strewn with symbolic cherry blossom throughout. A small garden table with s spinning top was placed for scenes depicting the old nursery. The back brick wall was exposed throughout. The static opening of Act 2 was impressive with chairs placed for ‘musical chairs’ the strumming of a guitar and across the back members of the cast each had paper and created individual head dresses.

The costumes ranged from Russian peasant look to the sumptuous of  Ranyevskya’s period gowns designed by Kaye Gabriel. Elderly devoted retainer Firs was wonderfully played with some great comedy lines and movement, looking immaculate dressed in a pristine white tailcoat and a bowler hat and walking stick simply perfect. Congratulations Annie Edwards.

I had the pleasure of talking to Frances during the interval, purely by chance, which was good to put a face to the Director who created such an interesting piece of theatre, who was willing to take a risk with collaborative participation together with her talented group of actors. Although the play is firmly of its time there are many aspects that relate to now. Much nostalgia from memories of past times of privilege - the acceptance of a peasant who grew to be a wealthy entrepreneur who recommends the beloved estate be split to create summer homes – an idea that could not be contemplated. Rachel McCarron plays the extraordinarily strong role of Ranyevskya who still has difficulty in coming to terms with the loss of her child and coping in the much changing world she now lives in, whilst Matt Hastings is a convincing Lopakhin once peasant now in a position to buy the estate at auction. Tristan Hyde played the forever student Trofimov who believes he’s ‘above love’ with conviction pairing well with young smitten Anya, Ranyevskya’s daughter, played by Chloe White. Adopted daughter Varya was beautifully played by Lisa Boucon who has worked hard to keep the estate going, silently in love with Lopakhin,  who has some very strong emotional dialogue moments that she handled extremely well.  Lighter touches came from Gayev Ranyevskya’s brother – work shy aristocrat who regularly described ‘billiard shots’, was Patrick Kealey. Kieron Jones was a self-conscious Yepikhodov the estate clerk a particularly clumsy young man – most amusing. There were other well cast and performed named parts with the actors all worthy of credit in producing such a polished Chekhov classic.

 

 

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