The Cherry Orchard, The Young Vic

The Story
The Cherry Orchard is the last and one of the best-known plays by Chekhov, featuring the playwright’s characteristic blend of comedy and tragedy. The orchard of the title belongs to Madame Ranyevskaya, a member of the Russian aristocracy who is struggling to hold onto her country estate and the prestige that goes with it during a time of huge upheaval. As in Three Sisters, which recently received a bracing revival at this same theatre, Chekhov’s characters suffer from a devastating failure to act, leaving them at the mercy of the changes taking place in the world around them.

The Creatives
Katie Mitchell is renowned for her distinctive takes on the classics, which often split the critics but have cemented her worldwide reputation as an innovator. Her work typically offers dazzling visuals, emotionally charged performances and innovative video work, so we can’t wait to see what she makes of The Cherry Orchard. She also has a strong track record of collaborating with Olivier Award-winning Simon Stephens, most recently on the striking but divisive Trial of Ubu at Hampstead Theatre.
On the evidence of Stephens’ phenomenally successful updated version of A Doll’s House, which made the 19th century play feel like it was written yesterday, we're expecting an equally fresh and fizzing modernisation of Chekhov's classic. Excitingly Dominic Rowan, whose performance in the Dolls House was lauded as 'superb' and 'extremely impressive', will return to the Young Vic to star in this new Stephens adaptation. As the first show in the Young Vic's main house since the meteorically successful Streetcar Named Desire (which smashed the theatre's ticket selling records), there is a mixture of pressure and anticipation surrounding The Cherry Orchard. With such a dazzlingly talented team, we predict another hit.