The Cherry Orchard the three or four outstanding plays by Chekhov, along with "The Seagull", "Three Sisters", and "Uncle Vanya". The play concerns an aristocratic Russian landowner who returns to her family estate (which includes a large and well-known cherry orchard) just before it is auctioned to pay the mortgage. Unresponsive to offers to save the estate, she allows its sale 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
Andrew Upton Andrew Upton Andrew Upton (born 1 February 1966) is an Australian playwright, screenwriter, and director. He is the husband of Academy Award-winning actress Cate Blanchett. As a playwright, Upton created adaptations of "Hedda Gabler", "The Cherry Orchard", "Cyrano de Bergerac", "Don Juan" (with Marion Potts), "Uncle Vanya", "The Maids", "Children of the Sun" and "Platonov" for the Sydney Theatre Company (STC) and Maxim Gorky's "The Philistines" for London's Royal National Theatre. His original play "Riflemind", with Hugo Weaving as an ageing rock star planning a comeback tour, opened at the STC on 5 October 2007 to favourable reviews. "Riflemind" opened