'The Cherry Orchard' Off-Broadway review — an indie spin on a Chekhov classic
Read our review of The Cherry Orchard off Broadway, a new version of Anton Chekhov's 1094 drama adapted and directed by Benedict Andrews at St. Ann's Warehouse.
Benedict Andrews is the first to admit Anton Chekhov is having a moment. The adapter and director of The Cherry Orchard, first seen at London's Donmar Warehouse and now running at St. Ann’s Warehouse in Brooklyn, is competing with, among others, the Andrew Scott-led Vanya a few subway stops away. But Andrews’ production isn’t so much a definitive take on the Russian master’s world as it is the director’s own creation, a Cherry Orchard full of indie music where everyone dresses a little bohemian, even the decidedly upper-class characters. (Costume design is by Merle Hensel.)
This is not necessarily a bad thing — Andrews’s Cherry Orchard is cohesive within its own bubble, and while some blocking feels a little aimless, the cast is tight and in tune with one another. Stripping down Chekhov is an attractive proposition, and in some ways, putting each cast member on equal footing works well. The actors draw from a bucket each night to determine where they will sit in the theatre, and their mingling with the audience members keeps the near-3-hour show moving at a nice pace. (Some audience members are game to participate in the cast’s antics; others are more hesitant to become a bookcase.)
The problem is the meaning of class in The Cherry Orchard and its apparent lack of meaning in Andrews’ adaptation. The Cherry Orchard sees characters of different social stations crossing paths on the titular estate, and their interactions represent the brave new world of turn-of-the-century Russia. Andrews’ production, however, weighs each cross-class relationship the same; perhaps accents distinguish servants from aristocrats, but if Liubov Ranveskaya (Nina Hoss)’s flirtation with the money-hungry Lopakhin (Adeel Akhtar) is the same as that with the socialist student Pyotr Trofimov (Daniel Monks), what are we to make of it or of her?
The best note in The Cherry Orchard is Hoss’s decision to play the auction reveal like a Greek tragedy, with blood and weeping rivaling that of her remembrances of her drowned soon Grisha. Theatregoers have long debated the classification of Chekhov’s play as a comedy or a tragedy and undoubtedly still will; so, too, may the cast at St. Ann’s.
The Cherry Orchard summary
Chekhov’s final play follows Liubov Ranevskaya (Hoss), a flighty aristocrat returning from Paris to her native Russia and her family’s beloved estate and cherry orchard — now about to be sold at auction to pay the family’s debts. Her brother Leonid (Michael Gould) tries to come up with the money to save the family home, while her daughter Varya (Marli Siu) hopes divine providence will save them.
Liubov’s younger daughter Anya (Sadie Soverall) believes the sale will allow her to start a new life, whether with her mother or with Trofimov (Monks), the former tutor of her deceased younger brother. Meanwhile, family friend Lopakhin (Akhtar), who climbed the social ladder from peasant to businessman, keeps trying to warn Liubov, her family, and the orchard's workers that if they don’t come up with enough money soon, the cherry orchard will be sold and destroyed.
What to expect at The Cherry Orchard
The Cherry Orchard has a runtime of almost 3 hours, including an intermission. You may be asked to interact with the actors and briefly participate in the show. The production uses fog and smoke and features loud, dissonant noises. The Cherry Orchard depicts the consumption of alcohol and references the death of a child.
What audiences are saying about The Cherry Orchard
The Cherry Orchard has an audience approval rating of 79% on the review aggregator Show-Score.
- Show-Score user IGoToTheater said Benedict Andrews’s production was “highly effective,” in part because the cast is “mixed with the audience.”
- New York Magazine placed the “very vape-y” production in the “Highbrow Brilliant” corner of its Approval Matrix.
- Show-Score user The Passionate Pilgrim disliked the “absence of scenery” and said the blocking “made it difficult to know what was going on,” but praised Andrews for making “bold directorial choices.”
Read more audience reviews of The Cherry Orchard on Show-Score.
Who should see The Cherry Orchard
- Fans of previous British imports to St. Ann’s Warehouse, including last season’s The Hunt and Grenfell: in the words of survivors, will want to check out the Donmar Warehouse production.
- If you’ve enjoyed other recent Chekhov stagings, like Andrew Scott’s solo Vanya off Broadway, you might want to compare them to The Cherry Orchard.
- Fans of German actress Nina Hoss, seen onstage across Germany and in the 2022 film Tár, will want to see her take on Liubov.
Learn more about The Cherry Orchard off Broadway
Though Hoss is the most recognizable face of The Cherry Orchard, the large ensemble piece includes comedic highlights from Posy Sterling, David Ganly, and the acerbic Sarah Amankwah.
Photo credit: The Cherry Orchard off Broadway. (Photos by Amir Hamja)
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