Kristin Scott Thomas & Stephen Mangan shine in Chekhov’s tragi-comedy

Harold Pinter Theatre

All eyes were on this production after the previously successful Chekhov productions from the same artists- The Seagull starring by an Olivier Awrad winning Kristin Scott Thomas, and Uncle Vanya directed by Ian Rickson and adapted by Conor Mcpherson. For most of the critics, The Cherry Orchard didn’t quite match the glories of those productions, but it was still much appreciated: ‘Ian Rickson’s elegantly directed production uses a plain-speaking new adaptation by Conor McPherson’ (Guardian). Kristin Scott Thomas was highly praised (‘luminous’ CityAM) as the down-at-heel aristocrat. So was Stephen Mangan as her would-be rich working class would-be saviour (‘a serio-comic masterclass’ Standard). All the cast were complimented for their portrayals of the motley collection of characters unable to come to terms with change.

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4 stars ⭑⭑⭑⭑

Dave Fargnoli of The Stage was impressed: ‘Sweeping through the familiar passages of Chekhov’s tender tragicomedy like a crisp autumn breeze, this faithful new adaptation from celebrated playwright Conor McPherson is refreshing, clear and unfussy. McPherson’s lucid take on the story of fading aristocracy glitters with moments of disarming vulnerability and deadpan humour that honours Chekhov’s play while illuminating subtext, developing the dramatic potential of some relationships and alighting on unexpected interpretations of others. Director Ian Rickson paces it decorously, allowing each scene plenty of time to breathe, but never letting the pace flag, wringing out laughs with physical comedy and wry, rapid-fire punchlines. The atmosphere that develops is at once ghostly, fragile as cobwebs, and unexpectedly warm-hearted, full of bittersweet yearning.’

CityAM‘s Adam Bloodworth thought: ‘Luminous Kristin Scott Thomas is the perfect choice for eccentric, blinkered stateswoman Lyubov Ranevskaya in Anton Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard, a mound of gesticulating passion and nostalgic delusion as the broke matriarch being slowly and painfully dethroned from her Russian country pile.’ He pointed out: ‘Conor McPherson and Ian Rickson’s new adaptation leans into the script’s farcical elements. In particular, Rickson exploits Mangan’s comedic nose; at times his performance nears slapstick, but he carries a general effeteness and lightness of touch that makes him an interesting provocateur opposite (Scott Thomas’s) airily out of touch matriarch.’

The Telegraph‘s Dominic Cavendish dwelt on the quality of the cast: ‘displaying her gift for clenched emotion… the star stamps her mark on the superficially carefree, inwardly agonised heroine, Ranevskaya (…) The low-born local businessman Lopakhin, brilliantly played by Stephen Mangan with sheepish charm and evident inner conflict’. There are, he said: ‘glorious performances across the board and the generations: mention should be made of Vinette Robinson as her long-suffering adopted daughter Varya; Shubham Saraf as the accident-prone, lovelorn Yepikhodov; and Jeff Rawle as the dotty, hard-up landowner Pishchik. Karl Johnson, simply superb throughout, supplies the requisite pathos as the scatty old retainer Firs, left to his own devices in a final, presumably fatal act of abandonment that tallies the cost of the others’ self-absorption.’

Alun Hood of WhatsOnStage declared: ‘Rickson’s direction is masterful, alive to every nuance, confidently embracing the dualities in Chekhov’s text: these people are deeply unhappy yet uproariously funny, and the sense of lives about to change forever is keenly felt. McPherson’s script is salty and smart and, most laudably, never sounds like a translation. Not everything about the update works, but that’s a small quibble about an emotionally intelligent production that renders a classic play alive and accessible, while still satisfying the most exacting of Chekhov enthusiasts, and boasting one of the greatest ensemble casts on any current London stage.’

Marianka Swain for LondonTheatre noted: ‘When Kristin Scott Thomas’s Ranevskaya returns home to this place full of ghosts, she describes it as a “crossroads”, and that sense of a liminal space – between past and future, one world and the next – pervades both Conor McPherson’s evocative new translation of Chekhov’s masterpiece and Ian Rickson’s gorgeous, elegiac production.’

The Independent‘s Alice Saville remarked: ‘What really does shine is Rickson’s mastery of Chekhov’s humour, in a production that never feels drawn-out or stodgy. This play is very, very funny, until it’s not – until you realise that this estate has stolen untold lives for centuries, and these unlucky, lingering, lovable few must pay the price.’

The Standard‘s Nick Curtis described the stars’ performances: ‘Scott Thomas gives a twitchy, strained, rictus-smiling central performance as Ranevskaya, the adored but terminally feckless landowner who seemingly can’t bear to be in a room with herself. She’s always slipping out of embraces and tricky situations, squirreling secretive drinks. Mangan delivers a serio-comic masterclass in timing and fretful awkwardness as the peasant turned businessman Lopakhin, and the supporting cast is impressive. The whole thing is a little rough around the edges but … also thrilling and refreshing.’

Time Out‘s Andrzej Lukowski pointed out: ‘Adapting playwright Conor McPherson cranks up both the bitter and the sweet as he massages the plot and dialogue for some big laughs … More importantly, there (is) an absolutely storming performance – dare I say career best – from the perennially underestimated Stephen Mangan as Yermolai Lopakhin. A self-made man of humble origins, his relationship with the lofty but impoverished household of Lyubov Ranevska (Kristin Scott Thomas) is the complicated heart of play.’ He concluded: ‘it’s the more painful emotions that linger in the splendid central turns from Scott Thomas and Mangan, the sense of people too in love with a perfect past to ever truly embrace an imperfect future.’

3 stars ⭑⭑⭑

Tim Bano for The Financial Times had mixed feelings about the mixed moods: ‘McPherson’s adaptation … clearly relishes the tonal shifts in Chekhov: they both enjoy weaving their plays with threads of daft humour as much as with anxiety and grief. That makes things difficult for the actors. Kristin Scott Thomas sticks very much to the serious side as once-wealthy landowner Ranevskaya … you get the sense of someone resentful of being the all-powerful matriarch, and so putting on an act of inertia and helplessness. It’s almost like she wants the coming reckoning. But it’s an uneven performance, as she underplays some moments and overcooks others. Though Mangan brings that expert comedy depth, even more thrilling is when he plays the tragedy, too. When his Lopakhin returns from the auction of the estate to reveal he’s bought it himself, the way he mutates nervousness into glee into disappointment is remarkable to watch.’

Gary Naylor for BroadwayWorld wasn’t convinced: ‘The Cherry Orchard is a state of the nation play – any time, any place – but it’s also a monument of literature, making the heart soar and dip as you see these fragile men and women make mistakes and take their chances. But Ian Rickson’s production doesn’t quite catch all the heights and depths of the emotions, the technical efficiency rather limiting the stakes. Do we really feel Madame’s despair as the orchard is cut down in plain sight as she stands next to her luggage, never to return? Do we really feel Lopakhin’s insensitive triumph, guilty but holding back a smirk? Do we really feel Firs’ isolation in a new world come to crush him at last?’

The Times’ Clive Davis observed: ‘all eyes are on Scott Thomas as her character wraps herself in illusions. There is sometimes an emptiness to her eyes that is quite chilling, as if she is living her real life inside her head. When she is not at the centre of things, though, the evening falters.’

The Guardian‘s Arifa Akbar thought: ‘Kristin Scott Thomas … brings a hard-edged modernity that you believe in. She feels of our time, despite the references to dachas and peasants, and could be an upper-middle-class Chelsea mother or minister’s wife, stewing in regret and an unfulfilled life. Ian Rickson’s elegantly directed production uses a plain-speaking new adaptation by Conor McPherson. (…) (it) is handsome and engaging, the crumbling drawing room of Chloe Lamford’s set design bearing damp patches and a faded grandeur.’ However, she felt: ‘some of the edges are softened, such as the fire of student and would-be revolutionary Trofimov (Jack Riddiford). You don’t feel much pathos for the set as a whole, and the drama never quite enters dark or tragic territory.’

2 stars ⭑⭑

The Daily Mail’s Patrick Marmion didn’t like the anachronistic adaptation: ‘The Cherry Orchard is a subtle study of tragic self-delusion from a time when Russian society was falling apart before the first revolution of 1905. Yet in Conor McPherson’s hollowed-out ‘reimagining’ of the play, any sense of place or class struggle has all but vanished. Instead, the action looks like it’s been transferred to the 1980s – a peculiar move, at odds with continued references to the end of serfdom in 1861.’ He ended his diatribe: ‘it’s like watching a herd of cats purposelessly gathered on Chloe Lamford’s damp-riddled set. A few desultory artefacts, including a shrine of religious icons, are largely ignored – just like the play’s historical moment.’

Critics’ average rating 3.5⭑

Value rating 37 (Combination of average rating and typical ticket price)

The Cherry Orchard can be seen at the Harold Pinter Theatre until 9 January 2027. Buy tickets from haroldpintertheatre.co.uk

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