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Chekhov’s “Cherry Orchard” is per- formed by the Macao Horizon Theatre. “Cherry Orchard” tells the story of
Golden harvest A
seminal moment in Russian liter- ature comes to life at the Macau Cultural Centre next month, as
a woman, Ranevskaya whose aristocrat- ic family is forced to sell a vast orchard in order to pay for a mortgage. Faced with several options that
could have saved the asset, the family does nothing to avoid the situation and the estate is fi nally sold to Lopakhin, who is the son of a serf to Ranevskaya’s family. The family leaves the estate to the sound of the beloved cherry orchard being chopped down. The play was hailed as a master-
piece upon its premiere at the Moscow Art Theatre in 1904.
Comedy or tragedy? Originally written as a comedy, the text has also been interpreted as a tragedy, released as it was on the eve of the Rus- sian Revolution. Not only is the play a refl ection on the
socioeconomic forces at work in Russia at the turn of the 20th century but also around the globe. Powerful themes run through
the play. The decline of the bourgeoisie, the rise of the middle and working classes, and the abolition of serfdom are themes playing out during the performance. This presentation of
the “Cherry
Orchard”, interpreted by the Macao Ho- rizon Theatre, commemorates the 150th anniversary of Anton Chekhov’s birth.
A Russian master Born on January 29, 1860, Chekhov was one of the world’s greatest short-story writers. His representative works in- clude “Surgery”, “The Calendar”, “Sor- row”, “A Work of Art”, “The Twilight” and “The Kiss”. He was a remarkable playwright, with his work having a pro- found infl uence on dramatic productions throughout the 20th century. His earlier plays employ direct nar-
ratives to let audiences feel part of the action onstage, whereas his later works focus on representing the characters’ dramatic events in life, with the main plots happening behind the scenes. All of Chekhov’s works revolve
around two major characteristics. There is the ruthless satire of anything distaste- ful and a deep sympathy for the poor. These common themes have helped
An up-and-coming Macau troupe takes on the classic Russian work “Cherry Orchard” in celebration of the 150th anniversary of the birth of its author, Anton Chekhov
make Chekhov’s work near universal, and his short stories and plays have since been translated into many languages and produced around the globe.
A talented group Bringing the “Cherry Orchard” to life next month is the Macao Horizon The- atre. This developing, popular local theatre group has presented a series of acclaimed works with a past successful classic repertoire. These include “Be- yond the Horizon”, “Our Town” and “We Won’t Pay! We Won’t Pay!” This talented ensemble is direct-
ed by Chan Chu Hei. Well-known in Macau as an actor and director, Chan was recently awarded Best Director at last year’s Hong Kong Theatre Libre. Julia Mok takes on the responsibility of movement instructor. The “Cherry Orchard” runs for two
nights, on November 5 and 6. Tickets are MOP120, with discounts for friends of arts. The presentation is in Cantonese only, with no subtitles available. There is a 30-minute, free art appre-
ciation talk starting at 7pm on November 5. More details are available from the cultural centre website,
http://www.ccm.gov.mo.
OCTOBER 2010
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