The Cherry Orchard

For other uses, see The Cherry Orchard (disambiguation).
The Cherry Orchard
Scene from Act 3 of the original Moscow Art Theatre production
Written byAnton Chekhov
Date premiered1904
Place premieredMoscow Art Theatre
Original languageRussian
GenreDrama

The Cherry Orchard (Russian: Вишнёвый сад, romanized: Vishnyovyi sad) is the last play by Russian playwright Anton Chekhov. Written in 1903, it was first published by Znaniye (Book Two, 1904),[1] and came out as a separate edition later that year in Saint Petersburg, via A.F. Marks Publishers.[2] On 17 January 1904, it opened at the Moscow Art Theatre in a production directed by Konstantin Stanislavski. Chekhov described the play as a comedy, with some elements of farce, though Stanislavski treated it as a tragedy. Since its first production, directors have contended with its dual nature. It is often identified as one of the three or four outstanding plays by Chekhov, along with The Seagull, Three Sisters, and Uncle Vanya.[3]

The play revolves around an aristocratic Russian landowner who returns to her family estate (which includes a large and well-known cherry orchard) just before it is auctioned to pay the mortgage. Unresponsive to offers to save the estate, she allows its sale to the son of a former serf; the family leaves to the sound of the cherry orchard being cut down. The story presents themes of cultural futility – both the futile attempts of the aristocracy to maintain its status and of the bourgeoisie to find meaning in its new-found materialism.[citation needed] It dramatizes the socioeconomic forces in Russia at the turn of the 20th century, including the rise of the middle class after the abolition of serfdom in the mid-19th century and the decline of the power of the aristocracy.[4]

Widely regarded as a classic of 20th-century theatre,[citation needed] the play has been translated and adapted into many languages and produced around the world. Major theatre directors have staged it, including Charles Laughton, Peter Brook, Andrei Șerban, Jean-Louis Barrault, Tyrone Guthrie, Katie Mitchell, Robert Falls, and Giorgio Strehler. It has influenced many other playwrights, including Eugene O'Neill, George Bernard Shaw, David Mamet, and Arthur Miller.

  1. ^ "Сборник товарищества «Знание» за 1903 год". Книга вторая. СПб., 1904, стр. 29—105. Подпись: А. Чехов.
  2. ^ Commentaries to Вишневый сад Archived 2017-05-31 at the Wayback Machine. The Complete Chekhov in 30 Volumes. Vol. 13. // Чехов А. П. Вишневый сад: Комедия в 4-х действиях // Чехов А. П. Полное собрание сочинений и писем: В 30 т. Сочинения: В 18 т. / АН СССР. Ин-т мировой лит. им. А. М. Горького. — М.: Наука, 1974—1982. Т. 13. Пьесы. 1895—1904. — М.: Наука, 1978. — С. 195—254.
  3. ^ Harold Bloom, Genius: A Study of One Hundred Exemplary Authors.
  4. ^ Öğünç, Ömer (2017-03-20). "Anton Chekhov'un The Cherry Orchard ve John Osborne'un Look Back In Anger Oyunlarinda Sosyal Sinif Kavraminin Karşilaştirilmasi". Karadeniz. doi:10.17498/kdeniz.297873. ISSN 1308-6200.