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| Set of interior of house in The Cherry Orchard |
I'd been looking forward to seeing this for a while, and it didn't disappoint. It was performed at the beautiful Parish Church of St John-at-Hampstead by The Hampstead Players, a renowned amateur dramatics group.
I have to admit, the play itself wasn't one of my favourites. There wasn't much in the way of a plot; it was almost entirely character-driven. The main plot consisted of a relatively impoverished upper class family vacillating over whether or not to sell their titular cherry orchard. Strong and varied emotions were expressed towards the end of the play at the outcome of this decision (or lack thereof). Despite my reservations about the play, it was performed extremely well in this instance and was genuinely absorbing and immersive in places.
It took me a while to get into it due to the complicated Russian names and having to concentrate hard to work out the relationships between the characters. I thought at first that Lopahkin was a footman rather than a rich merchant, but that was partly my fault for only having glanced through the programme.
It was the character of Gayev (Adam Baxter) that really drew me into the play. The brother of the female matriarchal protagonist Lyubov Andreyevna, Gayev was a sweet, eccentric, endearing character who was often gently mocked for talking too much. The affectionate way in which Gayev related to his nieces, Anya (Michaela Clement-Hayes) and Varya (Hoda Ali), and vice versa, was convincing and enjoyable to watch. As a feminist, I also appreciated the fact that, for once, it was a man who was criticised for talking too much. Regarding someone else who talked a lot - Trofimov, the student (Matt Williams) - I think I would have appreciated this character more if I'd had a greater understanding of the context of the play. But I'm afraid I'm woefully ignorant. About rural Russia circa 1900, anyway.
While the parts of the family and their friends were all performed very well, it was the servants' personalities and storylines that I found more intriguing. My favourite scene was the one in the open fields near the house, in which Charlotta, the governess, disturbs the tryst between Yasha (Nicolas Holzapfel) and Dunyasha (Sarah Day) to talk amusingly and poignantly about her own life. This was a very absorbing scene...I forgot about the chilly interior of the church and was transported to a pleasant outdoor place in summer. I imagine the lighting people were partially responsible for this; well done, lighting people. Charlotta (Emma Lyndon-Stanford), the eccentric governess, was one of my favourite characters. One felt that there was a lot more to learn about her character than what was shown. She was sometimes accompanied by an incredibly cute little dog, which certainly added to my enjoyment of the play.
The interactions between Dunyasha and Yasha were interesting and entertaining. Much of the development of their relationship was conveyed non-verbally, to great effect. I enjoyed watching their non-verbal interactions - particularly in the party scene when Yasha initially dances with Dunyasha but later refuses to dance with her and spitefully looks on - although I found it quite painful near the end, when Dunyasha desperately tries to catch Yasha's interest while he ignores her, languidly sipping champagne. A convincing portrayal of unrequited love.
The music, performed by a clarinettist and guitarist belonging to a klezmer band, added favourably to the atmosphere of the play. The dancing was excellent!
The ending was jarring in its tragedy and abruptness.
And so ends this review.
Next: Qui sait?
