The Cherry Orchard at Harold Pinter Theatre

Kristin Scott Thomas stuns in this lovely new adaptation of The Cherry Orchard.

In this Chekhov play, reimagined by Conor McPherson, a Russian aristocratic family crumbles when debts force their home to auction. The head of the house, Lyubov “Luba” Ranevskaya (Kristin Scott Thomas), returns home from a long trip to Paris as her money runs out. She is greeted like a queen as she enters the house, but the shine around her soon starts to flicker.

Yermi (Stephen Mangan) offers Luba a possible way out: to portion off the land where the cherry orchard grows and build holiday homes by the river. There is a new class of people, he says, who would love to own their own small slice of paradise. Luba stubbornly refuses to consider the idea, and the family desperately search for another way.

Meanwhile, the various members of the household are all locked in their individual love stories as life continues around the upheaval.

The set, by Chloe Lamford, a weathered old room of Luba’s estate, is drab, faded and without colour. Stains creep up the walls and across the ceiling. It is a clear metaphor for the deterioration of Luba herself as the world moves on without her.

And yet it makes for one of Chekhov’s more vibrant plays. It still takes after his penchant for the dreary grittiness of everyday people in everyday moments. But he allows for a little more poetry and a larger-than-life reputation for Luba, whether or not she lives up to it.

Thomas is a true delight. At times, she charges through the stage and brings energetic life to the whole affair, while at others, she captures the entire room with nothing but a deep stare. Her Luba is wonderful and chilling.

Alongside her, Stephen Mangan faces a difficult challenge. But he manages to stake a claim to some particularly powerful parts that draw attention off Thomas, if only for a moment or two.

The Cherry Orchard is deeply sad. But it is beautiful too. The themes cut to the heart even now. It represents love in all its forms, from sentimental to idealised, from destructive to unrequited. And it shows how the old is quickly forgotten and discarded as the new steamrolls its way in.

Jim Compton-Hall
Photos: Johan Persson

The Cherry Orchard is at Harold Pinter Theatre until 19^th January 2026. For further information or to book, visit the theatre’s website here.