Anton Chekhov's last play 'The Cherry Orchard' is one of his best. Other favourites being 'Three Sisters' and 'Uncle Vanya'. It is a masterclass of complex characterisation and mood, while Chekhov's characters were not what one considers "likeable" they are complex and real and he was a master at creating vivid atmosphere. There are plenty of moments in Chekhov's text, his writing style was heavily criticised and scorned at in his day but it is not a problem with me, other than taking a bit of time initially to get used to the wordiness.
This National Theatre Live production, a production from quite early on in this very interesting live stream simulcast series, is a worthy one. Not one of the best versions of the play or of Chekhov, with the text changes/additions and the setting not being to my tastes and the tragedy could have been brought out more. But it is immaculately performed all round and the attention to detail in the interaction and the character development are really quite something.
Starting with the good, the performances are wonderful. Zoe Wannamaker is a revelation, playing her role with furious fire, elegant poise and poignant passion. Conleth Hill portrays Lopakhin with equal passion, his frustration is intense and he does tortured movingly, while also displaying some nice comic timing. Pip Carter and Tim McMullen are very funny without being clownish, Carter makes accident prone surprisingly endearing and he is equally so when lovestruck. Emily Taafe is heart-breaking, Mark Bonnar doesn't overdo the absurdity and Kenneth Cranham does senile so well.
It is a very intelligently, thoughtfully staged production, as well as rich in detail in the way the characters are drawn and the character interaction. The internal conflict is something to immediately note, as that is one of the main things that impressed me most. Ranyevskaya and Lopakhin are especially well fleshed out in the production. The character interaction has intensity, entertainment value and poignancy. It was great to see the comedy emphasised more (it not always is), and the comedy is genuinely funny thanks to the delivery of the actors and not overplayed or forced. There is some hard edge, as ought, and some of the tragic moments resonate, especially the moving ending.
Didn't think that it was a perfect production though. There are some changes and additions to the text and they didn't strike me as necessary and the style just doesn't gel with the rest of the writing or everything else. The set design also wasn't always to my taste, it is well detailed in its own way and would work well elsewhere but for such a specific setting a run down over-sized shed didn't really go and found myself questioning why this particular setting.
While there are definitely moving moments, the more tragic elements could have been brought out more. That it avoided over-sentimentality is something to be admired as that is easily done adapting and performing 'The Cherry Orchard', but this aspect feels underplayed as a result at times and the pathos doesn't break the heart as much as it could.
Liked the production on the whole, especially for the performances and the detailed stage direction, but didn't love it with a couple of things that didn't feel quite right. 7/10.
