Penelope Wilton to star in The Cherry Orchard
Theatre
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.In the course of a damning review of Katherine Cornell's misbegotten production of The Three Sisters, Mary McCarthy encapsulated what might be termed the Chekhov dilemma. "To the American theatre mind, a play that culminates in a disastrous event is, by definition, a tragedy. If you add to this that the characters are unhappy, it is plain sailing." This is in stark contrast to Chekhov's own view. He rebuked Stanislavsky, insisting that "my plays are comedies".
So which do you trust the play or the playwright? While academic discussion (sorry, "discourse") both pre- and particularly post-modernism has been obsessed with the notion of authorial absence/presence, productions of Chekhov have changed irrevocably in the last 20 years. Gone is the gloom and doom Ira Gershwin alluded to in his lyrics for Girl Crazy, "With love to lead the way/ I've found more clouds of gray/ Than any Russian play could guarantee". Chekhov's instructions about frivolity and farce have been taken to heart.
The recent National Theatre production of Uncle Vanya disproved Peter Ustinov's adage that teamwork and Chekhov are, in acting terms, incompatible. It is true that his characters inhabit their own private worlds and rarely listen to one another, but the trick of good Chekhov is to find a group of actors who do just the opposite. One short cut is to cast the Cusack family or the Redgraves in The Three Sisters.
Irving Wardle described Mike Alfreds's 1985 production of The Cherry Orchard at the National as the most passionate he had ever seen. Sheila Hancock, who played Madame Ranyevskaya, attributes its success to Alfreds's working method, which develops a group understanding of the entire play. Her role has been played by other such luminaries as Judi Dench, Joanna Lumley and, famously, Peggy Ashcroft, none of which should deter Penelope Wilton (below) in Adrian Noble's new production. This is the role some of us have been waiting for her to play.
'The Cherry Orchard' is in preview at the RSC, Stratford and opens on Tues. 01789 295 623
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments