19, about a dozen cars were parked in the lot behind Thunder River Theatre in downtown Carbondale. He considers “The Cherry Orchard” to be Chekhov’s greatest work and “arguably one of the finest plays written in the 20th century.” “It’s a masterpiece,” said Winston, who has directed and designed other Chekhov plays. After Chekhov expressed his dissatisfaction with the interpretation, the play re-opened in April 1904 and became a great success. He believed that the ludicrousness of how characters treated each other, the life they put out front for all to see, was comic.”Īccording to Winston, when “The Cherry Orchard” first opened at the Moscow Art Theatre in January 1904, the play received a lukewarm reception, mostly because its first director treated it like a social tragedy. “But not comedy the way we have come to know it. “Chekhov did believe ‘The Cherry Orchard’ was a comedy,” Winston said. So, in the context of a Chekhov play, “comedy” means more of a subtle, absurd humor than the side-splitting variety. All the characters are recognizable today.”įor Chekhov, these types of trials and challenges his characters face set up ironic situations between people. “The play deals with foreclosure, the inability to pay one’s mortgage, incredible loss, inevitable change, and watching a new world emerge. “They are in foreclosure and they get an offer to sell portions of their cherry orchard to build vacation homes. “It’s like if a family owned the Redstone Castle and all the land around it for miles,” Winston said.
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