Productions
The Cherry Orchard
by Anton Chekhov
in a version by Andrew Upton
Selected international venues are showing encore screenings of The Cherry Orchard during July.
5 STARS
Sunday Telegraph
4 STARS
Daily Express, Daily Mail, Evening Standard, Financial Times, The Independent, The Times, The Stage, Mail on Sunday
On 30 June 2011 (and varying dates internationally) National Theatre Live will broadcast The Cherry Orchard live to cinemas around the world.
'Wonderfully fresh, funny and deeply felt. One of the finest ensembles I have ever seen at the National.’ Daily Telegraph
‘A funny and affecting production with an excellent cast, who capture the wild exuberance and piercing melancholy of Chekhov’s play.’ Metro
‘Zoë Wanamaker is superb.’ The Times
Ranyevskaya returns more or less bankrupt after ten years abroad. Luxuriating in her fading moneyed world and regardless of the increasingly hostile forces outside, she and her brother snub the lucrative scheme of Lopakhin, a peasant turned entrepreneur, to save the family estate. In so doing, they put up their lives to auction and seal the fate of the beloved orchard.
Set at the very start of the twentieth century, The Cherry Orchard captures a poignant moment in Russia’s history as the country rolls inexorably towards 1917. This spirited new version of
Chekhov’s last play follows Andrew Upton’s acclaimed adaptations of Philistines and The White Guard.
'Hear what I have to say about the Cherry Orchard, because it is mine. I say bring it down, tear it down. Smash it down and tear it down. Watch, watch. Just you watch. I will build holiday villas, as far as the eye can see. I will build a place for everyone to come and enjoy. For the future. And this will be the future. A new life. A new way of life. Here! Come now and play. Play. Play! Get the band to play.'
Download the free cast list for The Cherry Orchard.
Cast List - 8.5 x 11 black & white
Photo (Zoë Wanamaker) by Jim Naughten.