Review: THE CHERRY ORCHARD at Harold Pinter Theatre

Director Ian Rickson and adaptor Conor McPherson have form when it comes to Chekhov, having previously worked together on Uncle Vanya. Here, using Helen Rappaport’s literal translation, they have taken a scourer to the text and landed somewhere between a 60s kitchen sink drama and Gosford Park. In many ways the raw refusal to imbue excessive sentimentality is straight out of the Russian master’s own playbook, but murmurings from a fair portion of the ageing demographic at the interval, suggested that the frequent vulgarities and swearing weren’t everyone’s samovar of tea.

Leading the charge of serfs intermingling with minor Russian aristocracy, Stephen Mangan’s Lopakhin, the peasant-made-good-through-savvy-deal-brokering, is every inch the businessman who feels perpetually out of place. Born to poverty, he admires and yearns for the love and approval of the elegant and sophisticated Ranevskaya, Kristin Scott Thomas. She has returned to the sprawling estate after a frivolous sojourn in Paris during which she squandered any fortune remaining to her due to affairs of the heart, and is less icy and more fragile as a consequence. Her brother Gaev (Peter Wight) remained at the grand pile which is filled to bursting with unpaid retainers, but it becomes apparent that he hasn’t any more idea how to improve the family’s finances than his sister. Thereafter we are treated to a smorgasbord of semi-likeable, often-irritating, occasionally amusing family members, household familiars and those merely with a vested interest in hanging about until it is no longer expedient to do so.

As the flirting, arguments and reminiscing continue (in a multitude of regional accents), the cherry trees in the orchard begin to flower, offering false hope to the old guard and an obstacle to be cleared by those who have a more modern and businesslike grip on reality.

Among the actors making notable contributions to the whole, the ever watchable Karl Johnson as Firs proves the most likeable, gradually losing his marbles but none of the loyalty which has made him indispensable to the family for decades. Megan Cusack too shines as Dunyasha, the maid who is weighing-up proposals and her options but is destined to be disappointed by men and Vinette Robinson who as Varya, comes close to receiving a stilted marriage proposal from Lopakhin, (of the ‘settling for second best’ variety) which is utterly humiliating and marks an emotional high point in proceedings.

Perhaps not my favourite Cherry Orchard then, but nor was it my least. The production continues at Harold Pinter until 9th January and runs 2 hours 30 mins including interval.

The Cherry Orchard Tickets