THE CHERRY ORCHARD
William directed Anton Chekhov's play THE CHERRY ORCHARD
at the Jericho Arts Centre, Vancouver, in 2018
Russia, 1904. Hailed as one of the finest plays of all time, The Cherry Orchard tells the story of a lovely aristocratic family who simply will not face the future. Forty years after the serfs were freed, Russian society is in great upheaval, yet the Gaev family clings to the past and their old ways. Liubov Ranevskaya and her daughter, Anya, return home from Paris to find their beloved estate is to be sold at auction if they cannot pay their debts. Even their magnificent cherry orchard may fall to the axe.
FROM THE AUDIENCE:
“What a wonderful production! I haven’t seen anything close in Vancouver in years.”
“It’s even better than the Stratford and Shaw festivals.”
“I read the script, but I didn’t remember it was so funny!”
“Same team who did An Inspector Calls. That was excellent too!”
“I saw The Cherry Orchard in London, in Paris… that’s the best production, ever!”
IN THE NEWSPAPERS:
“The Cherry Orchard remains one of the masterworks of world theatre and Davis’ Smoking Gun Collective does an excellent job of capturing Anton Chekhov’s tricky tragicomic tone, rich characterizations and brilliantly balanced points of view.”
“Chekhov makes all the major characters simultaneously likable and infuriating, credible and foolish.”
Vancouver Sun