The Cherry Orchard

 The Cherry Orchard
Donmar Warehouse
St. Ann’s Warehouse
April 19, 2025

Photo courtesy of Dunmar Warehouse
& St. Ann's Warehouse

The Dunmar Warehouse production of The Cherry Orchard is astonishing.  This adaptation, written and directed by Benedict Andrews, turns Anton Chekhov's classic into an emotionally engaging experience.  The stage is bare.  The floor and walls are richly carpeted.  The characters, while drowning in their own inability to take action to move their lives forward, are crisp, alive, and empathetic.

Liubov Ranevskaya Andreevna (played by Nina Hoss) returns home to her beloved Russia after years of living in Paris.  She fled in grief after her young son drowned in the lake on the family property.  The entire estate, including the surrounding cherry orchard, is now being sold to pay the debt.  Yermolai Lopakhin (played by Adeel Akhtar), whose father and grandfather were servants for the Andreevna family, suggests they cut down the cherry orchard and divide up the land.  They can build homes and rent the properties.  He assures Liubov that the bank will give them a loan for this endeavor, which will allow them to maintain their beloved family home.  She will have none of it.  Her brother, Leonid (played by Michael Gould), asks their wealthy aunt for a loan, but it is not enough.  Lopakhin outbids every offer on the property, leaving the family homeless and with no other choice but to move on.   

Adeel Akhtar as Yermolai Lopakhim
Photo courteys of Donmar Warehouse & St. Ann's Warehouse

Benedict Andrews makes bold choices in the development of this adaptation.  There is a passionate speech given by the liberal tutor, Pyotr Trofimov Sergeevich (played by Daniel Monks), that focuses on the takeover by the oligarchs, who have no concern for the working class.  Mr. Monks fervently delivers this monologue, which directly addresses the political situation that is presently out of control in our country.  In Chekhov’s original work, the table turns on the caste system, as the economic circumstances of the characters shift.  Money rules, and the power belongs to those who have more of it.  It is striking how the social conflict that Anton Chekhov wrote about in his play in 1903 Russia runs parallel to our present time.  

Nina Hoss & Sadie Soverall
as Liubov & Anya
Photo courtesy of Donmar Warehouse
& St. Ann's Warehouse

Mr. Andrews brilliantly utilizes the space, keeping the actors visibly present (seated in the audience) when not in a scene.  They are spoken about and physically referred to, keeping them connected to all the action of the play.  They fill the space as their ancestors inhabit the house and estate, exemplifying their sense of belonging. 

The cast is riveting.  The darkness that is ever-present in Chekhov’s work is there, yet it does not weigh down the action.  These actors bring a sense of optimism and hope to the bleakest of times.  When Anya (played by Sadie Soverall) and Varya (played by Marli Siu) miss the opportunity for marriage, they are disappointed but not broken.  These moments are genuine and endearing.  After the family loses their beloved cherry orchard and their home, they carry on.  They will not only survive, but they will also flourish and thrive.

The Cherry Orchard is playing at St. Ann’s Warehouse through April 27.  Get a ticket.  It is an amazing production, living up to the Dunmar Warehouse standard that we’ve experienced in the past at St. Ann’s Warehouse. 

Domenick Danza

The Cherry Orchard

The Cherry Orchard

Roundabout Theatre Company

American Airlines Theatre

September 23, 2016

Photo courtesy of Roundabout Theatre Company

Stephen Karam’s new adaptation of The Cherry Orchard, presently in previews at Roundabout Theatre Company, is spectacular.  Mr. Karam brings Chekhov’s masterpiece into the 21^st century, making clear the economic class changes in Russia in 1904.  Director Simon Godwin highlights moments for each character that range from heartwarming to victorious to tragic.  Together this partnership takes the audience on a journey deep within their own fears, resistances, and futures.  They create a final act that is pertinent to present day class struggles. 

The Andreyevich family is facing bankruptcy.  Their estate, which includes their most valued cherry orchard, is soon to be auctioned off to pay their debts.  Ranevskaya (played by Diane Lane) returns from Paris in an attempt to unite with her family in saving the cherry orchard.  They face the monumental challenges that come with an unwillingness to accept their economic collapse and present circumstances.

Diane Lane & Harold Perrineau
Photo courtesy of Roundabout Theatre Company

Harold Perrineau is encouraging and confident as Lopakhin, whose father and grandfather were serf (slaves), once owned by the Andreyevich family.  The parallels of Tsar Alexander II’s Emancipation Reform of 1861 to Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 are clear and effective.  Lopakhin’s sense of empowerment is victorious when he purchases the cherry orchard at auction.  It is a severely jubilant moment that packs a mighty punch to the Andreyevich family.  Mr. Perrineau’s portrayal is authentic and truthful. 

Led by Diane Lane, the entire cast is outstanding.  She is revered, tender, and stoic as Ranevskaya.  Ms. Lane carries the grandeur of her character’s past as a protection from the future.  Her sense of hope and belief is powerful, and her loss and grief are devastating.  John Glover is charming, silly, and strong as her brother, Gaev.  The naiveté of his character brings levity to the seriousness of the family’s situation, which magnifies their downfall.  Joel Grey is sad and touching as Firs, the aging butler.  His grasp of the old ways is potent and eerie.  His timing and humor are endearing, illustrating a warm view of the family’s obsolete lifestyle.  There are also strong performances by Chuck Cooper, Tavi Gevinson, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Kyle Beltran, Tina Benko, Susannah Flood, and Quinn Mattfeld. 

The set design by Scott Pask is brilliant.  His powerful images and choices of symbols conjure broad emotions that force the audience to delve into their imagination.  This is further enhanced by the lighting design of Donald Holder.  Michael Krass’ costume designs span centuries, thus pushing the perspective into the present.  Together these designers make the family’s loss and reluctant acceptance of change a valid occurrence to a present day audience.

Celia Keenan-Bolger, Diane lane, Tavi Gevinson, & Kyle Beltran
Photo courtesy of Roundabout Theatre Company

This production is not to be missed.  Chekhov’s complex characters and deeply emotional play is relevant and alive in Mr. Karam’s new version.  The Cherry Orchard runs at the American Airlines Theatre through December 4.

Domenick Danza