The Cherry Orchard

The Cherry Orchard (1904) is a poignant reflection on the fading influence of Russia’s nobility at the dawn of a new age of industry and materialism. The play centers on an aristocratic family returning to its ancestral estate, shortly before the property’s sale. Despite proposals to rescue the estate, the family’s impractical and nostalgic romanticism leads to disaster; the family home is sold to a plebeian millionaire intent on cutting down its titular cherry orchard. 

• Fans of classic Russian literature and drama
• History buffs
• Theater lovers unfamiliar with – but curious about – Chekov’s work

Anton Chekhov (1860–1904) was a Russian author, essayist, and playwright. The son of a grocer and the grandson of a serf, he studied medicine in Moscow. Requiring a source of income to fund his studies, he began writing humorous sketches for magazines. After graduating, he took up writing full-time. His first collection of short stories was published to critical acclaim in 1886. His plays, including Uncle Vanya, The Seagull, and The Cherry Orchard, are widely regarded as masterpieces for their insights into human nature and social change.