The Cherry Orchard - Anton Chekhov

A widowed landowner, Ranevskaya, returns to her estate after years abroad. She has lived beyond her means for so long that she has accumulated enormous debts and must now part with her property. She faces losing even the blooming cherry orchard, which evokes cherished memories of her childhood and happier times. Lopakhin, a self-made merchant who rose from humble origins, proposes felling the trees and building summer houses for tourists on the vast grounds. Yet Ranevskaya refuses. She clings to her estate, which for generations has been the mark of her social standing.

Chekhov's final play premiered in 1904. In Russia at that time, the signs of a dying aristocratic world were unmistakable, yet answers to the question of how to live tomorrow remained deeply uncertain.

With great sensitivity and subtle humor, Chekhov portrays the characters of his play during a turning point. His protagonists are recognizable to modern audiences - burdened by their fears of loss and loneliness, their yearnings and risky schemes. Only the power of money emerges as a constant, immovable force.