“The Cherry Orchard” is the final play by Russian playwright Anton Chekhov. Written in 1903, it has been reimagined by director Simon Stone for the 2026 Adelaide Festival.
Set in modern-day Seoul, this production focuses on the return of the matriarch of a successful family business. Cannes Best Actress winner Doyeon Jeon stars as Doyoung Song, alongside Squid Game star Haesoo Park as Doosik Hwang. In the play, Hwang proposes a solution to save the business, which is ultimately rejected.
The action is set in the family home overlooking the ancient cherry orchard, planted by the late grandfather. The home was designed by a famous Japanese architect and given to Douyoung as a sixteenth birthday present. We learn of the complications of the business and the intricacies of the relationships between the characters. Brothers, daughters, lovers, cousins have intertwined stories. It would be easy to lose track, but the manner of story-telling allows the audience to follow along. The play is performed completely in Korean, with English surtitles, which meant a lot of looking around the stage to see who was talking, while following along. A slightly larger font would have helped.
It’s hard to imagine that a century old play would be still relevant today, but the themes of love, lust, betrayal, ignorance, jealousy and decay are all starkly pertinent. As outsiders we are spectators to the double lives that everyone seems to live. Feelings of regret and guilt are cleverly contrasted to those of revenge and pettiness. Overall it was a fast paced show that seamlessly blended humour and sadness.
Over four acts, The Cherry Orchard draws us into the world of a crumbling empire that could have been saved but for pride and self-satisfaction. The cast was first rate with honest and believable performances from them all. The centrepiece of the house overlooking the orchard grows from a vibrant house full of love and joy to a sad shell, a fitting metaphor for the family. A well deserved standing ovation for the cast rounded off a beautiful evening of entertainment.
The reviewer attended the performance on 27th Feb
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