The word sardonic comes to mind when I think that Anton Chekhov called the last of his three most produced plays (“The Seagull”, “The Three Sisters” and “Uncle Vanya”), “The Cherry Orchard” a comedy ‘with some elements of farce’. I wonder what he would consider tragic, since most all of his characters in ‘Orchard’ are tragic figures and yes, some find themselves in ridiculous situations, but none-the-less his characters all fall under a spell of disappointment, sorrow, unrequited love and/or unhappiness.
“The Cherry Orchard” was written in 1903 and published in 1904. It was before the revolution and into the beginnings of the downfall of Czarist Russia. In 1904 it was first directed by Stanislavski who called it a tragedy.
Now under the direction of North Coast Repertory Theatre in Solana Beach, artistic director and director David Ellenstein, using Jean-Claude van Itallie adaptation, this translation is more modern by today’s standards. A good sign, this. For the most part much of the dialogue is loud and clear with a few exceptions as when the actors are faced away from the audience.
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| Cast from L to R Richard Baird, Katie MacNichol. Bruce Turk, Second Row: Ted Barton, Sofia Jean Gomez, Amanda Evans, Riley Osburn |
As for the excellent cast, one can’t ask for a stronger and well versed, with a bravado performance by Richard Baird’s Yermolay Lopakhin, the former serf , whose grandparents worked as serf’s in the orchard but now as a free and wealthy businessman, he has plans for the in debt ridden estate that now belongs to the long suffering, and broke Lyubov Ranevskaya (Katie MacNichol) and her delusionary and quite eccentric brother Leonid Gayev (Bruce Turk). Both are locked in the past of what used to be.
Ranevskaya, the main focus of the play, is followed by an entourage that cluster around her in varying degrees from king makers like Lopakhin and do nothing’s, like Trofimov (Michael Raver), a student at the local university, and once tutor to Ranevskaya’s deceased son. He is the eternal student who believes he ‘is above love’.
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| James Sutorius and Richard Baird |
The old guard like Firs (James Sutorius) is the long time butler in advanced stages of dementia, and neighbor Pishchik (Ted Barton ), another once rich landowner who is now broke and always asking ‘anyone’ for money
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| Bruce Turk and Amanda Evans |
There are other voices: daughter Anya, (Riley Osburn) is 17 years old and the most sympathetic towards her mother. It was she who went to Paris to bring her mother back to the estate after a dreadful time there.
Adopted daughter Varya, (Amanda Evans) at 24 and is in love with Lopakhin and is the estate manager. She would love to be married to Lopakhin but… Her's is the most sympathetic character.
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| Marty Burnetts set lit by lighting designer Matt Novotny |
And just when you thought it can’t get any more absurd or eccentric there is Charlotte (Sofia Jean Gomez) Anya’s once governess. Anya is now too old for a governess so Charlotta entertains those at the estate by throwing her voice, doing ‘magic’ card tricks and out of the blue, munching on a cucumber.
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| Richard Baird |
When the play opens Baird’s Lopakhin is a self- satisfied, and wealthy merchant. He talks about plans to make the estate into a money making business. But when Ranevskaya and her entourage walk into what once was the nursery (Marty Burnett) all bets are off for any sense of normalcy that might follow.
Sooner rather than later the estate will be on the auction block. Lopakhin, the new owner of the estate, orders his men to begin chopping the trees down and sounds of axes are in heard the background (Evan Easton), until he stops them while the family is still in the house. There we see the suitcases being lined up and ready to move on to the next stop, whatever that might look like, in what was once the nursery as Lopakhin dangles the keys ready to close up the house.
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| Katie MacNichol (seated) Back: Michael Raver, Sofia Jean Gomez and Ted Barton |
And then a befuddled Firs stumbles into the empty nursery, wondering where everyone went.
Ellenstein et al have breathed new life into Chekhov’s least produced trilogy, “The Cherry Orchard” with an overall excellent and well connected cast from Baird to MacNichol, to Baron and Sutorius to Turk who never ceases to amuse.
Matt Novotny’s lighting enhances Marty Burnett’s set especially the outlined trees covered by the background scrim. Elisa Benzoni’s period outfits are class appropriate with Peter Herman’s wigs. Evan Easton’s sound of the trees being chopped down in the background puts a period at the end of an era.
You be the judge! Comedy? Tragedy?
See you at the theatre.
When: 7 p.m. Wednesdays; 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays; 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Through April 22.
Where: North Coast Repertory Theatre, 987 Lomas Santa Fe Drive, Solana Beach
Tickets: $57-$68
Phone: (858) 481-1055
Photo: Ken Jacques
Online: northcoastrep.org
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