“The Cherry Orchard” Shows Clash of Old & New in 1900 Russia—at Marin
Liz Sklar and Lance Gardner. Photos by David Allen
Chekhov’s Characters Dazzle as Aristocrats Fumble & Capitalists Flourish
by Jenyth Jo
Would you cut down an ancient cherry orchard and destroy the family estate to build vacation homes for high-tech capitalists? Not in my backyard, say the principal players in Chekhov’s 1904 masterpiece.
The orchard belongs to matriarch Liubóv ( splendid Liz Sklar), who escaped to Paris, where she squandered the family fortune. She cannot even pay the interest on the property she wants to save for her daughters. We pity her grief and her family as the bank auction looms.
As Liubóv, Sklar succeeds in the challenging task of making the flighty matriarch a sympathetic character. Aside from shaking her glamorous head and tinkling her diamond chandelier earrings, she has no plan to save her estate.
Neither does her brother, Anthony Fusco’s loquacious Gáyev. He is just another out-of-touch aristocrat who would rather talk than work.
Asleep on a too-small velvet Chippendale sofa, rising capitalist Lopákhin (Lance Gardner) anticipates either rescuing or making money from the family he once served as a serf. Now, he’s a driven land developer with murky motives.
The cast of Marin Theatre’s “The Cherry Orchard”
Aristocratic Liubóv and peasant Lopákhin clash brilliantly as her ignorance meets his ambition. Sklar provides emotional moments when we think she will capitulate, but she continually yearns for the past.
Nina Ball’s stunning set transforms from a nostalgic Victorian nursery to a backlit orchard. When front-lit, the painted walls become transparent, revealing ivory curtains with fringed Empire swags. Ball’s curtains resemble a cherry orchard in bloom, part of a brilliant and shocking “final curtain.”
The compelling perennial student Trofimov (delightful Joseph O’Malley) has his own socialist vision, far “above love,” an escape that daughter Ánya (Anna Takayo) cannot resist. Instead of marrying a rich man as her mother hopes, she follows Trofimov’s romantic, revolutionary teaching.
Anna Takayo and Rosie Hallett
From the frantic maid Dunyásha (Molly Ranson) to the noisy Yepikhódov (Jomar Tagatac), entertaining characters infuse the melancholy with comedy, reflecting today’s “influencers.”
As Carlotta, the clever German governess, Leontyne Mbele-Mbong captivates with sleight-of-hand tricks, her luminous voice, and spectacular costumes. Danny Scheie and Joel Morel deliver witty lines with dexterity. They invite us to join them in thumbing their noses at the idle rich while they cling to Kardashian “elegance.”
Gardner’s Lopákhin wants to be part of this crumbling family. But he’s a raw entrepreneur who only knows how to make a “deal.” He could save the estate by outbidding another developer. He could marry Várya (sensitive Rosie Hallett), but what will he do once he has the house keys? Can you trust a venture capitalist?
Jomar Tagatac, Leontyne Mbele-Mbong, Molly Ranson, and Joel Morel
We sympathize with Várya’s valiant efforts to manage the property, as she faces abandonment and homelessness. Who will take care of her?
The entire ensemble maintains a beautiful balance. Howard Swain plays the old butler Firs, who embodies the family’s faded glory with his hunched back and silent exits. Firs admits, “I never had a life, and now there’s nothing left.” The workers are abandoned.
The elite and the business class conveniently forget about working folk like Firs, but Chekhov reminds us of their sacrifices, too. Director Carey Perloff gives us a brilliant picture of past and future worlds.
Howard Swain
“The Cherry Orchard” by Anton Chekhov, translated by Paul Schmidt, directed by Carey Perloff, scenic design by Nina Ball, lighting by Kate Boyd, costumes by Lydia Tanji, sound by James Ard, at Marin Theatre, Mill Valley, California.
Info: marintheatre.org – to February 22, 2025.
Cast: Liz Sklar, Anna Takayo, Rosie Hallett, Anthony Fusco, Lance Gardner, Joseph O’Malley, Danny Scheie, Leontyne Mbele-Mbong, Jomar Tagatac, Molly Ranson, Howard Swain, Joel Morel, and Enzo Potente.
