The Cherry Orchard

About the Production

Chekhov called The Cherry Orchard a comedy. Directors often disagree. This production chose to take the playwright at his word.

The comedy does not diminish the tragedy. Lopakhin's triumph is genuinely comic—a man so uncertain of his own victory that he weeps and exults simultaneously. Madame Ranevskaya's inability to save herself is absurd and heartbreaking in the same moment. The play holds both registers, and it is the tension between them that gives the work its permanent contemporary relevance.

Directorial Approach

The Donmar's intimacy (250 seats) meant that the ensemble playing that Chekhov requires could be seen at very close range. Every character in this play is the protagonist of their own story. Our rehearsal process built from that outward, letting each actor construct a complete inner life before we worked on the play's larger architecture.

The sound design—birdsong, axes, an approaching train—existed in tension with the silences. We never let the audience settle into atmospheric comfort.

Creative Team

• Translation: Tom Stoppard
• Set Design: Hildegard Bechtler
• Costume Design: Hildegard Bechtler
• Lighting Design: Neil Austin
• Sound Design: Christopher Shutt
• Lyubov Ranevskaya: Kristin Scott Thomas
• Lopakhin: Tobias Menzies
• Gayev: Justine Mitchell