If It's Chekhov, It Must Be a Comedy
I don't think even a seasoned theatre goer could sit through this play if it were directed a drama. I imagine all the brooding speeches, unmotivated pauses, and the inevitable "gloom" of chopping down the cherry trees. The comedy is indeed dark, but sheer silliness abounds with the brother and his imaginary pool shooting, the governess and her magic, and foolishness of Madame Ranevsky. Only two moments are purely dramatic and poignant: the reaction of Ranevsky when Lopakhin purchases the estate, and the death of Firs.
Quintessentially Chekov
This, Chekov's last play, is the story of Madame Ranyevskaya's family, which lost its wealth, and an estate that included a cherry orchard. The subtext carries the story and is about how not to deal with existentialist stasis -- a state of being immobilized by the fear of change, and the complexity of the denial that under lay this fear. It is this fear and the symbolism it invokes that makes the play universal in its depiction of human fear, suffering, and inability to address change; for at one time or another, these too have engulfed us all. It is against this backdrop that Chekov's real talent, comes to the fore: his incredible ability to graphically develop characters and analyze them psychologically with a fine-tooth comb.
Chekov demonstrates an uncanny ability to draw out the deepest images of personal psychological angst, and is almost comical in his analysis which is always exquisitely sensitive -even of the most serious of issues such as those that beset this wealthy Russian family. The underlying message is that "life must go on" whether or not we address reality squarely in the face, or allow it to hit us in the "behind" as we are on the way out the door, as it did Madame Ranyevskaya and her family, as her creditors came to take away all of her possessions, including her cherry orchard from under her.
This is quintessentially Chekov; but it needs to be read several times to weave together the text with the subtext.
Five stars.
Who is the translator?
With hundreds of versions of The Cherry Orchard available, you would think that Amazon would have the sense to name the translator. I think this is the same version used by LA Theater Works in which case the translator would be Michael Frayn.
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