The Cherry Orchard

Summary

1981 BBC production of Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard.

Theatre play

The Cherry Orchard by Anton Chekhov (1860-1904) [more information]

Play synopsis

The action takes place on the estate of Madame Ranevsky in the early part of the 20th century. The orchard of the title has belonged to the family for generations but unless someone takes vigorous action it will have to be sold. Wikipedia describes it thus: ‘The play concerns an aristocratic Russian woman and her family as they return to their family estate (which includes a large and well-known cherry orchard) just before it is auctioned to pay the mortgage. While presented with options to save the estate, the family essentially does nothing and the play ends with the sale of the estate to the son of a former serf; the family leaves to the sound of the cherry orchard being cut down. The story presents themes of cultural futility - both the futile attempts of the aristocracy to maintain its status and of the bourgeoisie to find meaning in its newfound materialism. In reflecting the socio-economic forces at work in Russia at the turn of the 20th century, including the rise of the middle class after the abolition of serfdom in the mid-19th century and the sinking of the aristocracy, the play reflects forces at work around the globe in that period’ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cherry_Orchard).

Production history

First staged in Moscow in 1903.

Date of transmission

Tuesday 13 October 1981

Time

9.25-11.37pm

Channel

BBC1

Production company

BBC

Credits

Director

Richard Eyre

Producer

Ann Scott

Lighting

Howard King

Senior Cameraman

Geoff Feld

Playwright

Anton Chekhov (1860-1904)

Adaptor of Script

Trevor Griffiths (1935-) ('English version by’)

Translator

Helen Rappaport

Designer

Susan Spence

Sound

Richard Partridge

Cast

Suzanne Burden	Anya
Paul Curran	Firs
Judi Dench	Madame Ranevsky
David Blake Kelly	Stationmaster
Anton Lesser	Trofimov
Frances Low	Dunyasha
Anna Massey	Charlotte
Bill Paterson	Lopakhin
Wensley Pithey	Pischik
David Rintoul	Yasha
Timothy Spall	Epikhodov
Frederick Treves	Gayev
Richard Vanstone	Passer-by
Harriet Walter	Varya

Additional details

Play tags

Russian drama

Audiovisual sources

Title

The Cherry Orchard (BBC, 1981)

Archive

BBC Information and Archives [more information]

Address

White City
London
UK

Telephone

+44 (0)20 8008 2288

Website

http://www.bbc.co.uk/informationandarchives/

Access

BBC Information and Archives is not open to the public.

Print sources

Title

Radio Times, 8 October 1981 (Magazine)

Linking notes

article, pp. 23-25 and listing, p. 51, both with photographs