Once upon a time I went to a play and it was called Cherry Orchard. And I think there were some problems with the direct address and the script was not the best adaptation in the world. Not all versions of Cherry Orchard are like this one; some are awesome. There was direct address---too much! They used some lines that were directed to characters in another Cherry Orchard that I saw, but in this one they were directed to the audience. Then it is not exactly a play; it is just a person talking to you in a costume. When characters are talking to each other, then it is more of a story. Direct address is good when the audience is a character. Like in Liza Minelli's Daughter, we became a character in the story. We danced, and she told us stories, and she climbed up into the audience and talked to us. When I went to go see The Cherry Orchard, it was not the best play in the world, but I still liked some of it.I liked the dancing scene. It was a cool scene because there was dancing that was folk dancing. They did Russian dancing because it took place in Russia. I think that they put the scene in because the director thought it would be a good scene because he put funny things in it--like when Yepikhodov (Fernando S. Albiar) fell down trying to do the Russian dance.
I liked the scene where Charlotta (Liz Fletcher) was cleaning a gun. It was really funny. She said she didn't know who she was, and when she leaves she says, "I still do not know who I am." She should know who she is, and she didn't even know what her name is. All the audience knows exactly what her name is. Why don't we just get her a dictionary? She had a dog which was not an actual dog, and you could plainly see that. It was funny that you could plainly see that it was not an actual dog. The trick with the baby was really funny because she like tricked people that it was an actual baby. If she knows magic tricks, then it makes her character more interesting. I liked her because she was funny.
And I also really liked the scene where they move back into their old house after being in Paris. It was a nice beginning. When they got there you heard this "Hooray!" and this smooching. It was kind of weird, but it showed that they had not seen each other for a long time and they really liked each other.
I liked Varya (Helen Young). I thought she was stern, and I like stern people. She was fierce, and I like fierce people.
I think people that like direct address, different kinds of translations, and silly stuff would like this play. I think it was an okay play, and I think this play should be for ages 4 and up. I think if they used less direct address, it would be a little bit better. And if they didn't take out so many lines, then it would show you what the actual play was really like. I think Chekhov would like it to be more romantic, and have characters actually go into the cherry orchard and not just have it in the background, and have people talk with characters instead of the audience.
Photo: Dean LaPrairie
