The
play revolves around 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 bourgeoisie to find meaning in its newfound materialism. It
dramatizes the socio-economic forces in Russia at the turn of the 20th century,
including the rise of the middle class after the abolition of serfdom in the
mid-19th century and the decline of the power of the aristocracy.
Widely
regarded as a classic of 20th-century theatre, the play has been translated and
adapted into many languages and produced around the world. Major theatre
directors have staged it, including Charles Laughton, Peter Brook, Andrei
Șerban, Jean-Louis Barrault, Tyrone Guthrie, Katie Mitchell, Mehmet Ergen and
Giorgio Strehler. It has influenced many other playwrights, including Eugene
O'Neill, George Bernard Shaw, David Mamet, and Arthur Miller.