British productions make Chekhov's 'Cherry Orchard' both comedy and tragedy
Journalist Michael Billington, who has seen about 20 productions of Chekhov's 'The Cherry Orchard', argues that British stagings are particularly successful because they naturally blend comedy and tragedy, reflecting the country's dramatic heritage.
Two new productions of Anton Chekhov's final play 'The Cherry Orchard' are set to open in the UK – one at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon starring Helen Hunt and Kenneth Branagh, and another in London's West End with Kristin Scott Thomas. This has prompted critic Michael Billington to reflect on how British theatre approaches the work.
Billington, who has seen around 20 productions of the play, argues that British directors do not sentimentalise it, as is often claimed, but rather capture its genre-blending nature. Chekhov himself called it a comedy, almost a farce in places, while Stanislavski saw it as a tragedy. Billington notes that British actors, accustomed to Shakespeare's mix of styles, naturally handle these sudden mood shifts.
He cites several examples: the 1961 RSC production where John Gielgud's Gaev comically declared he would become a financier, while Dorothy Tutin's Varya wore a look of haunted sorrow. Mike Alfreds' 1985 National Theatre production balanced emotional contradictions – Ian McKellen's Lopakhin gleefully twirled the house keys after buying the estate, then rushed to comfort Sheila Hancock's weeping Ranevskaya. In 1995, Penelope Wilton's Ranevskaya giggled while imitating crocodiles, then grandly extended her hand for Lopakhin to kiss.
However, Billington's most memorable production was Peter Stein's 1989 staging at Berlin's Schaubühne. Stein described the play as "Tragedy. Comedy. Pastoral. Farce" and pushed each to extremes: the farce became Gogolian absurdity, while the pastoral was epitomised by the nursery shutters opening to reveal a sea of white cherry blossom. Stein had resources, rehearsal time and ensemble unavailable to British directors, but Billington insists the British have a natural affinity with Chekhov.
The new productions – in Stratford from 10 July to 29 August and in London from 3 October to 9 January – will offer two more interpretations, which Billington believes will demonstrate British theatre's skill with this play.
