In Act II, we're at a picnic in the cherry orchard. Some weeks have passed. The aristocrats arrive with Lopakhin, who is still hatching plans to save the estate. Lubov knows they need to do something, but to her the idea of summer homes is bourgeois and distasteful. Trofimov enters with Anya and Varya.
[A reception-room cut off from a drawing-room by an arch. Chandelier lighted. A Jewish band, the one mentioned in Act II, is heard playing in another room. Evening. In the drawing-room the grand rond is being danced. Voice of SIMEONOV Pischin âPromenade a une paire!â Dancers come into the reception-room; the first pair are Pischin and Charlotta IVANOVNA; the second, Trofimov and Lubov Andreyevna; the third, Anya and the POST OFFICE CLERK; the fourth, Varya and the Station-Master, and so on. Varya is crying gently and wipes away her tears as she dances. Dunyasha is in the last pair. They go off into the drawing-room, Pischin shouting, âGrand rond, balancez:â and âLes cavaliers à genou et remerciez vos dames!â Fiers, in a dress-coat, carries a tray with seltzer-water across. Enter Pischin and Trofimov from the drawing-room.]
Pischin. Iâm full-blooded and have already had two strokes; itâs hard for me to dance, but, as they say, if youâre in Rome, you must do as Rome does. Iâve got the strength of a horse. My dead father, who liked a joke, peace to his bones, used to say, talking of our ancestors, that the ancient stock of the SimeonovâPischins was descended from that identical horse that Caligula made a senator. . . . [Sits] But the trouble is, Iâve no money! A hungry dog only believes in meat. [Snores and wakes up again immediately] So I . . . only believe in money. . . .
Trofimov. Yes. There is something equine about your figure.
Pischin. Well . . . a horse is a fine animal . . . you can sell a horse.
[Billiard playing can be heard in the next room. Varya appears under the arch.]
Trofimov. [Teasing] Madame Lopakhin! Madame Lopakhin!
Varya. [Angry] Decayed gentleman!
Trofimov. Yes, I am a decayed gentleman, and Iâm proud of it!
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Varya. [Bitterly] Weâve hired the musicians, but how are they to be paid? [Exit.]
Trofimov. [To Pischin] If the energy which you, in the course of your life, have spent in looking for money to pay interest had been used for something else, then, I believe, after all, youâd be able to turn everything upside down.
Pischin. Nietzsche . . . a philosopher . . . a very great, a most celebrated man . . . a man of enormous brain, says in his books that you can forge bank-notes.
Trofimov. And have you read Nietzsche?
Pischin. Well . . . Dashenka told me. Now Iâm in such a position, I wouldnât mind forging them . . . Iâve got to pay 310 roubles the day after to-morrow . . . Iâve got 130 already. . . . [Feels his pockets, nervously] Iâve lost the money! The moneyâs gone! [Crying] Whereâs the money? [Joyfully] Here it is behind the lining . . . I even began to perspire.
[Enter Lubov Andreyevna and Charlotta IVANOVNA.]
Lubov. [Humming a Caucasian dance] Why is Leonid away so long? Whatâs he doing in town? [To Dunyasha] Dunyasha, give the musicians some tea.
Trofimov. Business is off, I suppose.
Lubov. And the musicians neednât have come, and we neednât have got up this ball. . . . Well, never mind. . . . [Sits and sings softly.]
Charlotta. [Gives a pack of cards to Pischin] Hereâs a pack of cards, think of any one card you like.
Pischin. Iâve thought of one.
Charlotta. Now shuffle. All right, now. Give them here, oh my dear Mr. Pischin. Ein, zwei, drei! Now look and youâll find it in your coat-tail pocket.
Pischin. [Takes a card out of his coat-tail pocket] Eight of spades, quite right! [Surprised] Think of that now!
Charlotta. [Holds the pack of cards on the palm of her hand. To Trofimov] Now tell me quickly. Whatâs the top card?
Trofimov. Well, the queen of spades.
Charlotta. Right! [To Pischin] Well now? What cardâs on top?
Pischin. Ace of hearts.
Charlotta. Right! [Claps her hands, the pack of cards vanishes] How lovely the weather is to-day. [A mysterious womanâs voice answers her, as if from under the floor, âOh yes, itâs lovely weather, madam.â] You are so beautiful, you are my ideal. [Voice, âYou, madam, please me very much too.â]
Station-Master. [Applauds] Madame ventriloquist, bravo!
Pischin. [Surprised] Think of that, now! Delightful, Charlotte Ivanovna . . . Iâm simply in love. . . .
Charlotta. In love? [Shrugging her shoulders] Can you love? Guter Mensch aber schlechter Musikant.
Trofimov. [Slaps Pischin on the shoulder] Oh, you horse!
Charlotta. Attention please, hereâs another trick. [Takes a shawl from a chair] Hereâs a very nice plaid shawl, Iâm going to sell it. . . . [Shakes it] Wonât anybody buy it?
Pischin. [Astonished] Think of that now!
Charlotta. Ein, zwei, drei.
[She quickly lifts up the shawl, which is hanging down. Anya is standing behind it; she bows and runs to her mother, hugs her and runs back to the drawing-room amid general applause.]
Lubov. [Applauds] Bravo, bravo!
Charlotta. Once again! Ein, zwei, drei!
[Lifts the shawl. Varya stands behind it and bows.]
Pischin. [Astonished] Think of that, now.
Charlotta. The end!
[Throws the shawl at Pischin, curtseys and runs into the drawing-room.]
Pischin. [Runs after her] Little wretch. . . . What? Would you? [Exit.]
Lubov. Leonid hasnât come yet. I donât understand what heâs doing so long in town! Everything must be over by now. The estate must be sold; or, if the sale never came off, then why does he stay so long?
Varya. [Tries to soothe her] Uncle has bought it. Iâm certain of it.
Trofimov. [Sarcastically] Oh, yes!
Varya. Grandmother sent him her authority for him to buy it in her name and transfer the debt to her. Sheâs doing it for Anya. And Iâm certain that God will help us and uncle will buy it.
Lubov. Grandmother sent fifteen thousand roubles from Yaroslav to buy the property in her name â she wonât trust us â and that wasnât even enough to pay the interest. [Covers her face with her hands] My fate will be settled to-day, my fate. . . .
Trofimov. [Teasing Varya] Madame Lopakhin!
Varya. [Angry] Eternal student! Heâs already been expelled twice from the university.
Lubov. Why are you getting angry, Varya? Heâs teasing you about Lopakhin, well what of it? You can marry Lopakhin if you want to, heâs a good, interesting man. . . . You neednât if you donât want to; nobody wants to force you against your will, my darling.
Varya. I do look at the matter seriously, little mother, to be quite frank. Heâs a good man, and I like him.
Lubov. Then marry him. I donât understand what youâre waiting for.
Varya. I canât propose to him myself, little mother. People have been talking about him to me for two years now, but he either says nothing, or jokes about it. I understand. Heâs getting rich, heâs busy, he canât bother about me. If I had some money, even a little, even only a hundred roubles, Iâd throw up everything and go away. Iâd go into a convent.
Trofimov. How nice!
Varya. [To Trofimov] A student ought to have sense! [Gently, in tears] How ugly you are now, Peter, how old youâve grown! [To Lubov Andreyevna, no longer crying] But I canât go on without working, little mother. I want to be doing something every minute.
[Enter Yasha.]
Yasha. [Nearly laughing] Epikhodovâs broken a billiard cue! [Exit.]
Varya. Why is Epikhodov here? Who said he could play billiards? I donât understand these people. [Exit.]
Lubov. Donât tease her, Peter, you see that sheâs quite unhappy without that.
Trofimov. She takes too much on herself, she keeps on interfering in other peopleâs business. The whole summer sheâs given no peace to me or to Anya, sheâs afraid weâll have a romance all to ourselves. What has it to do with her? As if Iâd ever given her grounds to believe Iâd stoop to such vulgarity! We are above love.
Lubov. Then I suppose I must be beneath love. [In agitation] Why isnât Leonid here? If I only knew whether the estate is sold or not! The disaster seems to me so improbable that I donât know what to think, Iâm all at sea . . . I may scream . . . or do something silly. Save me, Peter. Say something, say something.
Trofimov. Isnât it all the same whether the estate is sold to-day or isnât? Itâs been all up with it for a long time; thereâs no turning back, the pathâs grown over. Be calm, dear, you shouldnât deceive yourself, for once in your life at any rate you must look the truth straight in the face.
Lubov. What truth? You see where truth is, and where untruth is, but I seem to have lost my sight and see nothing. You boldly settle all important questions, but tell me, dear, isnât it because youâre young, because you havenât had time to suffer till you settled a single one of your questions? You boldly look forward, isnât it because you cannot foresee or expect anything terrible, because so far life has been hidden from your young eyes? You are bolder, more honest, deeper than we are, but think only, be just a little magnanimous, and have mercy on me. I was born here, my father and mother lived here, my grandfather too, I love this house. I couldnât understand my life without that cherry orchard, and if it really must be sold, sell me with it! [Embraces Trofimov, kisses his forehead]. My son was drowned here. . . . [Weeps] Have pity on me, good, kind man.
Trofimov. You know I sympathize with all my soul.
Lubov. Yes, but it ought to be said differently, differently. . . . [Takes another handkerchief, a telegram falls on the floor] Iâm so sick at heart to-day, you canât imagine. Here itâs so noisy, my soul shakes at every sound. I shake all over, and I canât go away by myself, Iâm afraid of the silence. Donât judge me harshly, Peter . . . I loved you, as if you belonged to my family. Iâd gladly let Anya marry you, I swear it, only dear, you ought to work, finish your studies. You donât do anything, only fate throws you about from place to place, itâs so odd. . . . Isnât it true? Yes? And you ought to do something to your beard to make it grow better [Laughs] You are funny!
Trofimov. [Picking up telegram] I donât want to be a Beau Brummel.
Lubov. This telegramâs from Paris. I get one every day. Yesterday and to-day. That wild man is ill again, heâs bad again. . . . He begs for forgiveness, and implores me to come, and I really ought to go to Paris to be near him. You look severe, Peter, but what can I do, my dear, what can I do; heâs ill, heâs alone, unhappy, and whoâs to look after him, whoâs to keep him away from his errors, to give him his medicine punctually? And why should I conceal it and say nothing about it; I love him, thatâs plain, I love him, I love him. . . . That love is a stone round my neck; Iâm going with it to the bottom, but I love that stone and canât live without it. [Squeezes Trofimovâs hand] Donât think badly of me, Peter, donât say anything to me, donât say . . .
Trofimov. [Weeping] For Godâs sake forgive my speaking candidly, but that man has robbed you!
Lubov. No, no, no, you oughtnât to say that! [Stops her ears.]
Trofimov. But heâs a wretch, you alone donât know it! Heâs a petty thief, a nobody. . . .
Lubov. [Angry, but restrained] Youâre twenty-six or twenty-seven, and still a schoolboy of the second class!
Trofimov. Why not!
Lubov. You ought to be a man, at your age you ought to be able to understand those who love. And you ought to be in love yourself, you must fall in love! [Angry] Yes, yes! You arenât pure, youâre just a freak, a queer fellow, a funny growth . . .
Trofimov. [In horror] What is she saying!
Lubov. âIâm above love!â Youâre not above love, youâre just what our Fiers calls a bungler. Not to have a mistress at your age!
Trofimov. [In horror] This is awful! What is she saying? [Goes quickly up into the drawing-room, clutching his head] Itâs awful . . . I canât stand it, Iâll go away. [Exit, but returns at once] All is over between us! [Exit.]
Lubov. [Shouts after him] Peter, wait! Silly man, I was joking! Peter! [Somebody is heard going out and falling downstairs noisily. Anya and Varya scream; laughter is heard immediately] Whatâs that?
[Anya comes running in, laughing.]
Anya. Peterâs fallen downstairs! [Runs out again.]
Lubov. This Peterâs a marvel.
[The Station-Master stands in the middle of the drawing-room and recites âThe Magdalenâ by Tolstoy. He is listened to, but he has only delivered a few lines when a waltz is heard from the front room, and the recitation is stopped. Everybody dances. Trofimov, Anya, Varya, and Lubov Andreyevna come in from the front room.]
Lubov. Well, Peter . . . you pure soul . . . I beg your pardon . . . letâs dance.
[She dances with PETER. Anya and Varya dance. Fiers enters and stands his stick by a side door. Yasha has also come in and looks on at the dance.]
Yasha. Well, grandfather?
Fiers. Iâm not well. At our balls some time back, generals and barons and admirals used to dance, and now we send for post-office clerks and the Station-master, and even they come as a favour. Iâm very weak. The dead master, the grandfather, used to give everybody sealing-wax when anything was wrong. Iâve taken sealing-wax every day for twenty years, and more; perhaps thatâs why I still live.
Yasha. Iâm tired of you, grandfather. [Yawns] If youâd only hurry up and kick the bucket.
Fiers. Oh you . . . bungler! [Mutters.]
[Trofimov and Lubov Andreyevna dance in the reception-room, then into the sitting-room.]
Lubov. Merci. Iâll sit down. [Sits] Iâm tired.
[Enter Anya.]
Anya. [Excited] Somebody in the kitchen was saying just now that the cherry orchard was sold to-day.
Lubov. Sold to whom?
Anya. He didnât say to whom. Heâs gone now. [Dances out into the reception-room with Trofimov.]
Yasha. Some old man was chattering about it a long time ago. A stranger!
Fiers. And Leonid Andreyevitch isnât here yet, he hasnât come. Heâs wearing a light, demi-saison overcoat. Heâll catch cold. Oh these young fellows.
Lubov. Iâll die of this. Go and find out, Yasha, to whom itâs sold.
Yasha. Oh, but heâs been gone a long time, the old man. [Laughs.]
Lubov. [Slightly vexed] Why do you laugh? What are you glad about?
Yasha. Epikhodovâs too funny. Heâs a silly man. Two-and-twenty troubles.
Lubov. Fiers, if the estate is sold, where will you go?
Fiers. Iâll go wherever you order me to go.
Lubov. Why do you look like that? Are you ill? I think you ought to go to bed. . . .
Fiers. Yes . . . [With a smile] Iâll go to bed, and whoâll hand things round and give orders without me? Iâve the whole house on my shoulders.
Yasha. [To Lubov Andreyevna] Lubov Andreyevna! I want to ask a favour of you, if youâll be so kind! If you go to Paris again, then please take me with you. Itâs absolutely impossible for me to stop here. [Looking round; in an undertone] Whatâs the good of talking about it, you see for yourself that this is an uneducated country, with an immoral population, and itâs so dull. The food in the kitchen is beastly, and hereâs this Fiers walking about mumbling various inappropriate things. Take me with you, be so kind!
[Enter Pischin.]
Pischin. I come to ask for the pleasure of a little waltz, dear lady. . . . [Lubov Andreyevna goes to him] But all the same, you wonderful woman, I must have 180 little roubles from you . . . I must. . . . [They dance] 180 little roubles. . . . [They go through into the drawing-room.]
Yasha. [Sings softly]
âOh, will you understand
My soulâs deep restlessness?â
[In the drawing-room a figure in a grey top-hat and in baggy check trousers is waving its hands and jumping about; there are cries of âBravo, Charlotta Ivanovna!â]
Dunyasha. [Stops to powder her face] The young mistress tells me to dance â there are a lot of gentlemen, but few ladies â and my head goes round when I dance, and my heart beats, Fiers Nicolaevitch; the Post-office clerk told me something just now which made me catch my breath. [The music grows faint.]
Fiers. What did he say to you?
Dunyasha. He says, âYouâre like a little flower.â
Yasha. [Yawns] Impolite. . . . [Exit.]
Dunyasha. Like a little flower. Iâm such a delicate girl; I simply love words of tenderness.
Fiers. Youâll lose your head.
[Enter Epikhodov.]
Epikhodov. You, Avdotya Fedorovna, want to see me no more than if I was some insect. [Sighs] Oh, life!
Dunyasha. What do you want?
Epikhodov. Undoubtedly, perhaps, you may be right. [Sighs] But, certainly, if you regard the matter from the aspect, then you, if I may say so, and you must excuse my candidness, have absolutely reduced me to a state of mind. I know my fate, every day something unfortunate happens to me, and Iâve grown used to it a long time ago, I even look at my fate with a smile. You gave me your word, and though I . . .
Dunyasha. Please, weâll talk later on, but leave me alone now. Iâm meditating now. [Plays with her fan.]
Epikhodov. Every day something unfortunate happens to me, and I, if I may so express myself, only smile, and even laugh.
[Varya enters from the drawing-room.]
Varya. Havenât you gone yet, Simeon? You really have no respect for anybody. [To Dunyasha] You go away, Dunyasha. [To Epikhodov] You play billiards and break a cue, and walk about the drawing-room as if you were a visitor!
Epikhodov. You cannot, if I may say so, call me to order.
Varya. Iâm not calling you to order, Iâm only telling you. You just walk about from place to place and never do your work. Goodness only knows why we keep a clerk.
Epikhodov. [Offended] Whether I work, or walk about, or eat, or play billiards, is only a matter to be settled by people of understanding and my elders.
Varya. You dare to talk to me like that! [Furious] You dare? You mean that I know nothing? Get out of here! This minute!
Epikhodov. [Nervous] I must ask you to express yourself more delicately.
Varya. [Beside herself] Get out this minute. Get out! [He goes to the door, she follows] Two-and-twenty troubles! I donât want any sign of you here! I donât want to see anything of you! [Epikhodov has gone out; his voice can be heard outside: âIâll make a complaint against you.â] What, coming back? [Snatches up the stick left by Fiers by the door] Go . . . go . . . go, Iâll show you. . . . Are you going? Are you going? Well, then take that. [She hits out as Lopakhin enters.]
Lopakhin. Much obliged.
Chekhov The Cherry Orchard Pdf
Varya. [Angry but amused] Iâm sorry.
Lopakhin. Never mind. I thank you for my pleasant reception.
Varya. It isnât worth any thanks. [Walks away, then looks back and asks gently] I didnât hurt you, did I?
Lopakhin. No, not at all. Thereâll be an enormous bump, thatâs all.
Voices From the Drawing-Room. Lopakhinâs returned! Ermolai Alexeyevitch!
Pischin. Now weâll see what there is to see and hear what there is to hear . . . [Kisses Lopakhin] You smell of cognac, my dear, my soul. And weâre all having a good time.
[Enter Lubov Andreyevna.]
Lubov. Is that you, Ermolai Alexeyevitch? Why were you so long? Whereâs Leonid?
Lopakhin. Leonid Andreyevitch came back with me, heâs coming. . . .
Lubov. [Excited] Well, what? Is it sold? Tell me?
Lopakhin. [Confused, afraid to show his pleasure] The sale ended up at four oâclock. . . . We missed the train, and had to wait till half-past nine. [Sighs heavily] Ooh! My headâs going round a little.
[Enter Gaev; in his right hand he carries things he has bought, with his left he wipes away his tears.]
Lubov. Leon, whatâs happened? Leon, well? [Impatiently, in tears] Quick, for the love of God. . . .
Gaev. [Says nothing to her, only waves his hand; to Fiers, weeping] Here, take this. . . . Here are anchovies, herrings from Kertch. . . . Iâve had no food to-day. . . . I have had a time! [The door from the billiard-room is open; the clicking of the balls is heard, and Yashaâs voice, âSeven, eighteen!â Gaevâs expression changes, he cries no more] Iâm awfully tired. Help me change my clothes, Fiers.
[Goes out through the drawing-room; Fiers after him.]
Pischin. What happened? Come on, tell us!
Lubov. Is the cherry orchard sold?
Lopakhin. It is sold.
Lubov. Who bought it?
Lopakhin. I bought it.
[Lubov Andreyevna is overwhelmed; she would fall if she were not standing by an armchair and a table. Varya takes her keys off her belt, throws them on the floor, into the middle of the room and goes out.]
Lopakhin. I bought it! Wait, ladies and gentlemen, please, my headâs going round, I canât talk. . . . [Laughs] When we got to the sale, Deriganov was there already. Leonid Andreyevitch had only fifteen thousand roubles, and Deriganov offered thirty thousand on top of the mortgage to begin with. I saw how matters were, so I grabbed hold of him and bid forty. He went up to forty-five, I offered fifty-five. That means he went up by fives and I went up by tens. . . . Well, it came to an end. I bid ninety more than the mortgage; and it stayed with me. The cherry orchard is mine now, mine! [Roars with laughter] My God, my God, the cherry orchardâs mine! Tell me Iâm drunk, or mad, or dreaming. . . . [Stamps his feet] Donât laugh at me! If my father and grandfather rose from their graves and looked at the whole affair, and saw how their Ermolai, their beaten and uneducated Ermolai, who used to run barefoot in the winter, how that very Ermolai has bought an estate, which is the most beautiful thing in the world! Iâve bought the estate where my grandfather and my father were slaves, where they werenât even allowed into the kitchen. Iâm asleep, itâs only a dream, an illusion. . . . Itâs the fruit of imagination, wrapped in the fog of the unknown. . . . [Picks up the keys, nicely smiling] She threw down the keys, she wanted to show she was no longer mistress here. . . . [Jingles keys] Well, itâs all one! [Hears the band tuning up] Eh, musicians, play, I want to hear you! Come and look at Ermolai Lopakhin laying his axe to the cherry orchard, come and look at the trees falling! Weâll build villas here, and our grandsons and great-grandsons will see a new life here. . . . Play on, music! [The band plays. Lubov ANDREYEVNA sinks into a chair and weeps bitterly. Lopakhin continues reproachfully] Why then, why didnât you take my advice? My poor, dear woman, you canât go back now. [Weeps] Oh, if only the whole thing was done with, if only our uneven, unhappy life were changed!
Pischin. [Takes his arm; in an undertone] Sheâs crying. Letâs go into the drawing-room and leave her by herself . . . come on. . . . [Takes his arm and leads him out.]
Lopakhin. Whatâs that? Bandsmen, play nicely! Go on, do just as I want you to! [Ironically] The new owner, the owner of the cherry orchard is coming! [He accidentally knocks up against a little table and nearly upsets the candelabra] I can pay for everything! [Exit with Pischin]
[In the reception-room and the drawing-room nobody remains except Lubov Andreyevna, who sits huddled up and weeping bitterly. The band plays softly. Anya and Trofimov come in quickly. Anya goes up to her mother and goes on her knees in front of her. Trofimov stands at the drawing-room entrance.]
Anya. Mother! mother, are you crying? My dear, kind, good mother, my beautiful mother, I love you! Bless you! The cherry orchard is sold, weâve got it no longer, itâs true, true, but donât cry mother, youâve still got your life before you, youâve still your beautiful pure soul . . . Come with me, come, dear, away from here, come! Weâll plant a new garden, finer than this, and youâll see it, and youâll understand, and deep joy, gentle joy will sink into your soul, like the evening sun, and youâll smile, mother! Come, dear, letâs go!
Curtain.
The Cherry Orchard (Russian: ÐиÑнÑвÑй Ñад, romanized: Vishnyovyi sad) is the last play by Russian playwright Anton Chekhov. Written in 1903, it was first published by Znaniye (Book Two, 1904),[1] and came out as a separate edition later that year in Saint Petersburg, via A.F. Marks Publishers.[2] It opened at the Moscow Art Theatre on 17 January 1904 in a production directed by Konstantin Stanislavski. Chekhov described the play as a comedy, with some elements of farce, though Stanislavski treated it as a tragedy. Since its first production, directors have contended with its dual nature. It is often identified as one of the three or four outstanding plays by Chekhov, along with The Seagull, Three Sisters, and Uncle Vanya.[3]
The play concerns an aristocratic Russian landowner who returns to her family estate (which includes a large and well-known cherry orchard) just before it is auctioned to pay the mortgage. Unresponsive to offers to save the estate, she allows its sale to the son of a former serf; the family leaves to the sound of the cherry orchard being cut down. The story presents themes of cultural futility â both the futile attempts of the aristocracy to maintain its status and of the bourgeoisie to find meaning in its newfound materialism.[citation needed] It dramatises the socio-economic forces in Russia at the turn of the 20th century, including the rise of the middle class after the abolition of serfdom in the mid-19th century and the decline of the power of the aristocracy.
Widely regarded as a classic of 20th-century theatre, the play has been translated and adapted into many languages and produced around the world. Major theatre directors have staged it, including Charles Laughton, Peter Brook, Andrei Èerban, Jean-Louis Barrault, Tyrone Guthrie, Katie Mitchell, Mehmet Ergen and Giorgio Strehler. It has influenced many other playwrights, including Eugene O'Neill, George Bernard Shaw, David Mamet, and Arthur Miller.
Characters[edit]
The spelling of character names depends on the transliteration used.
Konstantin Stanislavski as Leonid Gayev, c. 1922
Plot[edit]
The play opens in the early morning hours of a cool day in May in the nursery of Lyubov Andreyevna Ranevskaya's ancestral estate, somewhere in the provinces of Russia just after the turn of the 20th Century. Ranevskaya has been living with an unnamed lover in France for five years, ever since her young son drowned. After receiving news that she had tried to kill herself, Ranevskaya's 17-year-old daughter Anya and Anya's governess Charlotta Ivanovna have gone to fetch her and bring her home to Russia. They are accompanied by Yasha, Ranevskaya's valet who was with her in France. Upon returning, the group is met by Lopakhin, Dunyasha, Varya (who has overseen the estate in Ranevskaya's absence), Leonid Andreyevich Gayev, Boris Borisovich Simeonov-Pishchik, Semyon Yepikhodov, and Firs.
Lopakhin has come to remind Ranevskaya and Gayev that their estate, including the cherry orchard, is due to go to auction in August to pay off the family's debts. He proposes to save the estate by allowing part of it to be developed into summer cottages; however, this would require the destruction of their famous cherry orchard, which is nationally known for its size.
Ranevskaya is enjoying the view of the orchard as day breaks when she is surprised by Peter Trofimov, a young student and the former tutor of Ranevskaya's son, Grisha, whose death prompted Ranevskaya to leave Russia five years ago. Much to the consternation of Varya, Trofimov had insisted on seeing Ranevskaya upon her return, and she is grief-stricken at the reminder of this tragedy.
After Ranevskaya retires for the evening, Anya confesses to Varya that their mother is heavily in debt. They all go to bed with renewed hope that the estate will be saved and the cherry orchard preserved. Trofimov stares after the departing Anya and mutters 'My sunshine, my spring' in adoration.
Act II takes place outdoors in mid-summer on the family estate, near the cherry orchard. The act opens with Yepikhodov and Yasha trying for the affection of Dunyasha, by singing and playing guitar, while Charlotta soliloquizes about her life as she cleans a rifle. In Act I it was revealed that Yepikhodov proposed to Dunyasha around Easter; however, she has since become infatuated with the more 'cultured' Yasha. Charlotta leaves so that Dunyasha and Yasha might have some time alone, but that is interrupted when they hear their employer coming. Yasha shoos Dunyasha away to avoid being caught, and Ranevskaya, Gayev, and Lopakhin appear, once more discussing the uncertain fate of the cherry orchard. Shortly Anya, Varya, and Trofimov arrive as well. Lopakhin teases Trofimov for being a perpetual student, and Trofimov espouses his philosophy of work and useful purpose, to the delight and humour of everyone around. During their conversations, a drunken and disheveled vagrant passes by and begs for money; Ranevskaya thoughtlessly gives him all of her money, despite the protestations of Varya. Shaken by the disturbance, the family departs for dinner, with Lopakhin futilely insisting that the cherry orchard be sold to pay down the debt. Anya stays behind to talk with Trofimov, who disapproves of Varya's constant hawk-like eyes, reassuring Anya that they are 'above love'. To impress Trofimov and win his affection, Anya vows to leave the past behind her and start a new life. The two depart for the river as Varya calls scoldingly in the background.
It is the end of August, and the evening of Ranevskaya's party has come. Offstage the musicians play as the family and their guests drink, carouse, and entertain themselves. It is also the day of the auction of the estate and the cherry orchard; Gayev has received a paltry amount of money from his and Ranevskaya's stingy aunt in Yaroslavl, and the family members, despite the general merriment around them, are both anxious and distracted while they wait for word of their fates. Varya worries about paying the musicians and scolds their neighbour Pishchik for drinking, Dunyasha for dancing, and Yepikhodov for playing billiards. Charlotta entertains the group by performing several magic tricks. Ranevskaya scolds Trofimov for his constant teasing of Varya, whom he refers to as 'Madame Lopakhin'. She then urges Varya to marry Lopakhin, but Varya demurs, reminding her that it is Lopakhin's duty to ask for her hand in marriage, not the other way around. She says that if she had money she would move as far away from him as possible. Left alone with Ranevskaya, Trofimov insists that she finally face the truth that the house and the cherry orchard will be sold at auction. Ranevskaya shows him a telegram she has received from Paris and reveals that her former lover is ill again and has begged for her to return to aid him. She says that she is seriously considering joining him, despite his cruel behaviour to her in the past. Trofimov is stunned at this news and the two argue about the nature of love and their respective experiences. Trofimov leaves in a huff, but falls down the stairs offstage and is carried in by the others. Ranevskaya laughs and forgives him for his folly and the two quickly reconcile. Anya enters, declaring a rumour that the cherry orchard has been sold. Lopakhin arrives with Gayev, both of whom are exhausted from the trip and the day's events. Gayev is distant, virtually catatonic, and goes to bed without saying a word of the outcome of the auction. When Ranevskaya asks who bought the estate, Lopakhin reveals that he himself is the purchaser and intends to chop down the orchard with his axe. Ranevskaya, distraught, clings to Anya, who tries to calm her and reassure her that the future will be better now that the cherry orchard has been sold.
Several weeks later, once again in the nursery (as in Act I), the family's belongings are being packed away as the family prepares to leave the estate forever. Trofimov enters in search of his galoshes, and he and Lopakhin exchange opposing world views. Anya enters and reprimands Lopakhin for ordering his workers to begin chopping down the cherry orchard even while the family is still in the house. Lopakhin apologizes and rushes out to stop them for the time being, in the hopes that he will be somehow reconciled with the leaving family. Charlotta enters, lost and in a daze, and insists that the family find her a new position. Ranevskaya tearfully bids her old life goodbye and leaves as the house is shut up forever. In the darkness, Firs wanders into the room and discovers that they have left without him and boarded him inside the abandoned house to die. He lies down on the couch and resigns himself to this fate (apparently dying on the spot). Offstage we hear the axes as they cut down the cherry orchard.
Themes[edit]
One of the main themes of the play is the effect social change has on people. The emancipation of the serfs on 19 February 1861 by Alexander II allowed former serfs to gain wealth and status while some aristocrats were becoming impoverished, unable to tend their estates without the cheap labor of slavery. The effect of these reforms was still being felt when Chekhov was writing forty years after the mass emancipation.[4]
Chekhov originally intended the play as a comedy (indeed, the title page of the work refers to it as such), and in letters noted that it is, in places, almost farcical.[5] When he saw the original Moscow Art Theatre production directed by Konstantin Stanislavski, he was horrified to find that the director had moulded the play into a tragedy. Ever since that time, productions have had to struggle with this dual nature of the play (and of Chekhov's works in general).
Ranevskaya's failure to address problems facing her estate and family mean that she eventually loses almost everything and her fate can be seen as a criticism of those people who are unwilling to adapt to the new Russia. Her petulant refusal to accept the truth of her past, in both life and love, is her downfall throughout the play. She ultimately runs between her life in Paris and in Russia (she arrives from Paris at the start of the play and returns there afterwards). She is a woman who lives in an illusion of the past (often reliving memories about her son's death, etc.). The speeches by the student Trofimov, attacking intellectuals were later seen as early manifestations of Bolshevik ideas and his lines were often censored by the Tsarist officials. Cherry trees themselves are often seen as symbols of sadness or regret at the passing away of a certain situation or of the times in general.
The theme of identity, and the subversion of expectations of such, is one that can be seen in The Cherry Orchard; indeed, the cast itself can be divided up into three distinct parts: the Gayev family (Ranevskaya, Gayev, Anya and Varya), family friends (Lopakhin, Pishchik and Trofimov), and the 'servant class' (Firs, Yasha, Dunyasha, Charlotta and Yepikhodov), the irony being that some of them clearly act out of place â think of Varya, the adopted daughter of an aristocrat, effectively being a housekeeper; Trofimov, the thinking student, being thrown out of university; Yasha considering himself part of the Parisian cultural élite; and both the Ranevskayas and Pishchik running low on money while Lopakhin, born a peasant, is practically a millionaire.
While the Marxist view of the play is more prevalent, an alternative view is that The Cherry Orchard was Chekhov's tribute to himself. Many of the characters in the play harken back to his earlier works and are based on people he knew in his own life. It should also be noted that his boyhood house was bought and torn down by a wealthy man whom his mother had considered a friend. The breaking guitar string in acts 2 and 4 hark back to his earliest works. Finally, the classic 'loaded gun' that appears in many of Chekhov's plays appears here, but this is his only play in which a gun is shown but not fired.
Production history[edit]
The play opened on 17 January 1904, the director's birthday, at the Moscow Art Theatre under the direction of the actor-director Konstantin Stanislavski. During rehearsals, the structure of Act Two was re-written. Famously contrary to Chekhov's wishes, Stanislavski's version was, by and large, a tragedy. Chekhov disliked the Stanislavski production intensely, concluding that Stanislavski had 'ruined' his play. In one of many letters on the subject, Chekhov would complain, 'Anya, I fear, should not have any sort of tearful tone.. Not once does my Anya cry, nowhere do I speak of a tearful tone, in the second act there are tears in their eyes, but the tone is happy, lively. Why did you speak in your telegram about so many tears in my play? Where are they? .. Often you will find the words 'through tears,' but I am describing only the expression on their faces, not tears. And in the second act there is no graveyard.'[6] The playwright's wife Olga Knipper played Madame Ranevskaya in the original Moscow Art Theatre production, as well as in the 300th production of the play by the theatre in 1943.
Although critics at the time were divided in their response to the play, the debut of The Cherry Orchard by the Moscow Art Theatre on 17 January 1904 (Stanislavski's birthday) was a resounding theatrical success and the play was almost immediately presented in many of the important provincial cities. This success was not confined only to Russia, as the play was soon seen abroad with great acclaim as well. Shortly after the play's debut, Chekhov departed for Germany due to his worsening health, and by July 1904 he was dead.
The modest and newly urbanized audiences attending pre-revolutionary performances at S. V. Panin's People's House in Saint Petersburg reportedly cheered as the cherry orchard was felled onstage.[7]
A production in 1925 at the Oxford Playhouse by J. B. Fagan[8] and a production in 1934 at the Sadler's Wells Theatre in London directed by Tyrone Guthrie and translated by Hubert Butler were among the first English-language productions of the play.
A television version featuring Helen Hayes as Ranevskaya, and Susan Strasberg as Anya, directed by Daniel Petrie, was broadcast as part of the Play of the Week television series in 1959.
A Royal Shakespeare Company/BBC Television version from 1962 was directed by Michael Elliott from Michel Saint-Denis stage production. This features Peggy Ashcroft as Ranevskaya, Ian Holm as Trofimov, John Gielgud as Gayev, Judi Dench as Anya, Dorothy Tutin as and Patsy Byrne as Dunyasha.[9] Kaspersky internet security 2018 download. This version has been released on DVD by BBC Worldwide.
The Stratford Festival of Canada mounted productions in 1965, 1987 and 1998. The 1965 production was in fact the first time that a Chekhov play had been performed there. Furthermore, The Cherry Orchard marked the Stratford directorial debut of John Hirsch. Three of the original Stratford company members were in the cast: William Hutt, playing Gaev; Douglas Campbell, as Lopahin; and William Needles, in the role of Yepihodov; and three women who are considered among the pre-eminent actors Canada has produced: Frances Hyland (Varya), Kate Reid (Ranevskaya), and Martha Henry (Dunyasha). Also in the cast were Powys Thomas (Fiers); Mervyn Blake (Pishtchik); and Mary Savidge (Charlotta), and Canadian born and trained actors: Bruno Gerussi (Yasha); Hugh Webster (Trofimov); and Susan Ringwood (Anya). [10]
A production starring Irene Worth as Ranevskaya, Raul Julia as Lopakhin, Mary Beth Hurt as Anya and Meryl Streep as Dunyasha, directed by Andrei Åerban and featuring Tony Award-winning costumes and set by Santo Loquasto, opened at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in 1977.[11]
A production directed by Peter Hall, translated by Michael Frayn and starring Dorothy Tutin as Ranevskaya, Albert Finney as Lopakhin, Ben Kingsley as Trofimov and Ralph Richardson as Firs, appeared at the Royal National Theatre in London in 1978[12] to nearly universal acclaim. A minimalist production directed by Peter Gill opened at the Riverside Studios in London also in 1978,[12] to good reviews.
In 1981, Peter Brook mounted a production in French (La Cérisaie) with an international cast including Brook's wife Natasha Parry as Ranevskaya, Niels Arestrup as Lopakhin, and Michel Piccoli as Gayev. The production was remounted at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in 1988 after tours through Africa and the Middle East.[13]
Also in 1981, the BBC produced a version for British television by Trevor Griffiths from a translation by Helen Rappaport and directed by Richard Eyre. Instead of her 1962 BBC role as daughter Anya, Judi Dench here played the mother Ranevskaya to Bill Paterson's Lopakhin, Anton Lesser as Trofimov, Frederick Treves as Gayev, Anna Massey as Charlotta, and a 24-year-old Timothy Spall as Yepikhodov.[14]
The Stratford Festivalâs 1987 production also used the Trevor Griffiths text, and subtly shifted the play's emphasis from Madame Ranyevskaya's economic demise to the ascent of Lopakhin. James Blendick as Lopakhin was praised for his skillful man-on-the-rise performance.[15] The 1998 Festival production, directed by Diana Leblanc, was based on a new translation by American-born / Canadian playwright John Murell. Among its cast was Martha Henry (Ranevskaya), Stephen Russell (Leonid), Anne Ross (Anya) and Sarah Dodd (Varya). Variety noted that: âLeblanc has..remembered that this is a tragicomedy..avoided the obvious and encouraged her actors to find humor rather than high drama. It works beautifully because there is drama aplenty in merely playing these characters with integrity.â [16]
Anton Chekhov The Cherry Orchard Pdf
A film version starring Charlotte Rampling as Ranevskaya, Alan Bates as Gayev, Owen Teale as Lopakhin, Melanie Lynskey as Dunyasha and Gerard Butler as Yasha, directed by Michael Cacoyannis, appeared in 1999.[17]
An L.A. Theatre Works recorded version of the play was produced in 2002 starring Marsha Mason, Charles Durning, Hector Elizondo, and Jennifer Tilly. Others in the cast were Jordan Baker, Jon Chardiet, Michael Cristofer, Tim DeKay, Jeffrey Jones, Christy Keef, Amy Pietz, and Joey Slotnick.
Wekande Walauwa, 2002, a Sinhalese film adapted to Sri Lankan family context was directed by the prominent Sri Lankan director Lester James Peries.
The Steppenwolf Theatre Company (Chicago, Illinois) performed a version that was translated by its Associate Artistic Director, Curt Columbus, and directed by ensemble member Tina Landau. The play premiered on 4 November 2004 and ran until 5 March 2005 at the Upstairs Theatre. Appearing in the performance were Robert Breuler, Francis Guinan, Amy Morton, Yasen Peyankov, Rondi Reed, Anne Adams, Guy Adkins, Chaon Cross, Leonard Kraft, Julian Martinez, Ned Noyes, Elizabeth Rich, Ben Viccellio, and Chris Yonan.[18]
The Atlantic Theatre Company (New York City) in 2005 produced a new adaptation of The Cherry Orchard by Tom Donaghy, where much more of the comedy was present as the playwright had originally intended.[19]
A new production of the play starring Annette Bening as Ranevskaya and Alfred Molina as Lopakhin, translated by Martin Sherman and directed by Sean Mathias, opened at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles in February 2006.[20]
The Huntington Theatre Company[21] at Boston University produced a version in January 2007 using Richard Nelson's translation, directed by Nicholas Martin with Kate Burton as Madame Ranevskaya, Joyce Van Patten as Charlotta Ivanovna, and Dick Latessa as Firs.[22]
Jonathan Miller directed the play in MarchâApril 2007 at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, England. The play represents Miller's return to the British stage after nearly a decade away[23] and stars Joanna Lumley as Ranevskaya.
Libby Appel adapted and directed the play in 2007 for her farewell season as artistic director of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival (Ashland, Oregon). The new translation, based on an original literal translation by Allison Horsley, is considered to be 'strongly Americanized'.[24]
A version of the play was performed as the opening production on the Chichester Festival Theatre Stage in MayâJune 2008, with a cast including Dame Diana Rigg, Frank Finlay, Natalie Cassidy, Jemma Redgrave and Maureen Lipman.[25]
In 2009, a new version of the play by Tom Stoppard was performed as the first production of The Bridge Project, a partnership between North American and UK theatres. The play ran at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Sam Mendes directed the production with a cast including Simon Russell Beale, Sinéad Cusack, Richard Easton, Rebecca Hall and Ethan Hawke.[26]
A brand new adaptation of the play was produced by the Blackeyed Theatre in spring 2009 as a UK tour, with a cast of four.[27]
In September 2009, a new adaptation of the play by Stuart Paterson was produced at the Dundee Repertory Theatre with guest director Vladimir Bouchler.
A new translation of the play in Punjabi was performed in September 2009 by the students of Theatre Art Department of Punjabi University, Patiala, India.
A version of the play in Afrikaans was performed in late September 2009 by students of the Department of Drama at the University of Cape Town, South Africa.
A new adaption was commissioned by the Brighton Festival and performed by the dreamthinkspeak group.[28] They renovated the old co-op home-store on the London Road using the whole store as a stage. They renamed it Before I Sleep and said it was inspired by the original play. It received positive reviews from both The Guardian[29] and The Independent[30] newspapers. It was funded by Arts Council England, National Lottery and a long list of other Brighton and Hove based businesses.
In April 2010 at the Royal Lyceum Theatre in Edinburgh the Scottish playwright John Byrne staged a new version of the play as a Scottish 'social comedy', taking place in 1979 Scotland.[31]
The Royal National Theatre in London staged a new version starring Zoë Wanamaker from May to August 2011, reuniting director Howard Davies with writer Andrew Upton,[32] which was also shown at cinemas internationally through National Theatre Live.[33]
The Eastern Bohemian Theatre, Pardubice, Czech Republic. Directed by Petr Novotný (director). Translated by LeoÅ¡ SuchaÅÃpa. Starring: Jindra JanouÅ¡ková (Ranevskaya), Petra Tenorová (Anya), Kristina JelÃnková (Varya), ZdenÄk RumpÃk (Gayev), JiÅà Kalužný (Lopakhin), Miloslav Tichý (Trofimov), Martin MejzlÃk (Simeonov-Pishchik), LÃda Vlášková (Charlotte), Ladislav Å piner (Yepikhodov), Martina Sikorová (Dunyasha), Václav DuÅ¡ek (Firs), Jan Musil (Yasha), Radek Žák (Stationmaster), Alexandr Postler (Stranger). The play had a premiere 16 and 17 October 2011 at 7 pm and last performance on 14 January 2012.
The Vinohrady Theatre, Prague. Directed by VladimÃr Morávek. Starring Dagmar VeÅ¡krnová-Havlová, JiÅina Jirásková (Charlotte), Viktor Preiss, Pavla Tomicová, Martin Stropnický, Lucie JuÅiÄková, Svatopluk Skopal, Andrea Elsnerová, Pavel BatÄk, Ilja Racek, Martin Zahálka, JiÅà DvoÅák, jiÅà Žák. The play had its premiere on 5 February 2008.
The Komornà scéna Aréna, Ostrava. Directed by Ivan KrejÄÃ. Starring Alena SasÃnová-Polarczyk, Tereza DoÄkalová, Petra Kocmanová, Norbert Lichý, Josef Kaluža, Michal Äapka, DuÅ¡an Å kubal, Dana Fialková, Michal MouÄka, Tereza Cisovská, Pavel Cisovský, Albert Äuba, Marek Cisovský, René Å motek. The play had premiere on 21 March 2009.
The Theatre Workshop of Nantucket staged a new adaptation and translation of Chekhov's Cherry Orchard set on Nantucket in 1972. The play premiered on 14 September 2012. It was directed by Anne Breeding and Gregory Stroud, and translated and adapted by Gregory Stroud.[34]
The Stage Center Theatre at Northeastern Illinois University, Chicago, Illinois, presented a new version of The Cherry Orchard, adapted and directed by Dan Wirth, in October, 2013.[35]
PK Productions will premiere a new version of The Cherry Orchard in November 2014 at the New Wimbledon Theatre.[36] Adapted by director Patrick Kennedy, the production updates the setting to London in 1976.[37]
Directed by Katie Mitchell, The Cherry Orchard opened at The Young Vic Theatre in London on 10 October 2014
A production of the Michael Frayn translation is in production at Helmsley Arts Centre in Helmsley, North Yorkshire in May 2015, directed by David Powley.
Clemence Williams directed New Theatre (Sydney) production of David Mamet's adaptation 26 April â 28 May 2016 with an original musical score by Eliza Scott.[38]
Roundabout Theatre Company presented a new adaptation by Stephen Karam on Broadway at the American Airlines Theatre, starring Diane Lane as Ranevskaya. Previews began on 15 September 2016, with opening night on 16 October. The production was directed by Simon Godwin, with scenic design by Scott Pask, costume design by Michael Krass, lighting design by Donald Holder, sound design by Christopher Cronin, movement by Jonathan Goddard, and original music by Nico Muhly.[39][40]
During its 2018 season, Shaw Festival in Niagara-on-the Lake, Ontario presented a world premiere of The Orchard (after Chekov). [41] Described as The Cherry Orchard transformed into the tale of a Punjabi-Sikh family fighting to hold onto their Okanagan Valley orchard, this version is based on the author Sarena Parmarâs own childhood in British Columbia. âThis fresh adaptation confronts life, loss and the Canadian immigrant experience with both bravery and beauty..â[42] It will go on to be produced at the Arts Club in Vancouver, B.C. in April 2019.
Legacy[edit]
The Cherry Orchard memorabilia at the Chekhov Gymnasium literary museum.
The theatre scholar Michael Goldman has referred to the character Charlotta Ivanovna playing the governess in this play as prototypical of characters Chekhov had visited in many of his plays. As Goldman states: 'Everyone in Chekhov resembles Charlotta Ivanovna.. with her card tricks, and ventriloquism. Each in his own way attempts a kind of magic, a spiritual mumbo-jumbo, a little number designed to charm or placate or simply elegize reality â the reality of life slipping away, of the dissolving process. They are sad clowns, redeemed only by being fully felt as people, and not the comic icons they are always threatening to become â failed shamans, whose magic does not work though it has cost them everything to perform.'[43]
The Japanese film Sakura no Sono (2008) is about a drama group in a girls-only private high school putting on a production of The Cherry Orchard. It is based on a previous film and a manga of the same name.
The play has a role in the comedy film Henry's Crime (2011).
References[edit]
The Cherry Orchard PdfEnglish translations[edit]Chekhov The Cherry Orchard Summary
External links[edit]
Chekhov The Cherry Orchard Synopsis
The Cherry Orchard Anton Chekhov Pdf
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