Cherry Orchard – The Return

The great-grandchildren of Chekhov’s cast meet each other, and they battle even more rancorously than their ancestors over the cherry orchard that actually no longer exists. The Ranjewska family has made a fortune in the USA. But Anja, named after her grandmother, always felt nostalgic for the old homeland. Together with her brother Gajew, a rather unsentimental military officer, she returns to buy back the former family property from Lopachin and replant the cherry orchard. Indeed, the merchant’s heir did continue the business, but now he has excellent ties to the mob underworld. A few more old acquaintances meet again in this “Cherry Orchard Revisited”, which might quite possibly be haunted by old Firs’ ghost. A few systemic changes notwithstanding, the old power structures are reestablished with amazing swiftness. But what follows is a sentimental goodbye and a ruthless victory for the crafty Lopachin. And the cherry orchard remains treeless.

John von Düffel has written a smart comedy about tradition and new beginnings, about dreams of the good old days, and the hope for progress.