Outdoor Theater: Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard Reset in 1970s Virginia
Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum (Topanga, CA)
Rated 2.6 by 20 members who went.
Enjoy a new take on Chekhov's classic comedy The Cherry Orchard at the outdoor amphitheater at the Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum, terraced into the hillside of the rustic canyon. Re-set in 1970s Virginia during the aftermath of the civil rights movement, an old Southern family desperately clings to tradition in this newly updated version of The Cherry Orchard.
Event summary prepared by the Goldstar Editorial Team.
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16 Member Reviews
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Richard Schenkman
Member since 2005
12 Reviews
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The update of the story to the '70's certainly made thematic sense, but by moving the play into our era, the "theatrical" nature of the material was exposed -- over-exposed, I think. In other words, the distancing factor of the events taking place a long time ago in a country far, far away usually makes it easier to suspend disbelief.
Also, for a piece described as a "comedy", it's really not very funny at all, and of course ends tragically. What's there to laugh about?
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Elaine Mura
Member since 2006
12 Reviews
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I couldn't believe how beautifully this Russian classic fit into the 1970's Virginia scene. The acting was superb, the settings were clever, and the entire ambiance was charmng. Unfortunately, the crickets sometimes drowned out the dialog! In fact, I was told to sit a little higher because the sound was clearer up there. Overall, a winner!
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Randall K.
Member since 2005
45 Reviews
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This adaptation did not work for me. The writing was unfocused, the acting varied greatly in quality and it was simply not funny or involving.
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Goldstar Member
Member since 2007
2 Reviews
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The setting in Topanga Canyon is BEAUTIFUL! It is peaceful, serene and the perfect place to see classics performed. The closest thing you will come to The Globe Theater. The acting was generally ok and the themes were presented well.
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Albert Watts
Member since 2008
143 Reviews
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Chekhov americanized actually works pretty well at least in this production. They have given it a new context that matches up with the themes of the original play. And the Botanicum company of actors are great as usual.
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Goldstar Member
Member since 2004
5 Reviews
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The outside theatre is a wonderful idea, and we will be back to watch another play, along with the sound of softly chirping crickets...real ones?? The Cherry Orchard, although entertaining, was in no way a comedy, but the other reviewer is right, and I agree, it should have been listed as a drama only.
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JoAnne Roth
Member since 2009
3 Reviews
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The acting and venue was good...just that the play itself was depressing....thought it was supposed to be a comedy!
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Peter Altschuler
Member since 2008
4 Reviews
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When you could hear the actors, their performances were fine, but the need for vocal projection is particularly important in the outdoor Theatricum. As seems common at these productions, the amplified sound -- music and effects -- is far too loud, given the actors' relatively low volume, and it drowns out the dialogue.
While the attempt to modernize the play was interesting, it was completely unnecessary -- the message of the original would resonate as well -- and tended to eliminate some of the nuance, particularly at a pivot point in our own national development.
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Goldstar Member
Member since 2006
2 Reviews
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This was the worst play I've ever seen at the Theatricum. Their plays are usually well staged and well acted, but we couldn't hear the actors for one thing, and when we could the plot was so convoluted it made no sense. The writing and staging was awful. We left at intermission.
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Jo R.
Member since 2005
18 Reviews
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I was waivering between a 3 and a 4 star review. Some performances were weaker than others but I know the play well and did think it worked in the Virgina setting. It is about letting go of the past and how each person reaches that point in different ways and for different reasons. I don't suppose anyone in the company will read this but the piece needs more pace in general and a variety of timing in particular. A Midsummer Night's Dream was better and so is Julius Ceasar. To be honest if they stood up and read the phone book in this venue I would still go. The Geer's are national treasures.
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Victor B.
Member since 2005
65 Reviews
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This was my first experience at the Will Geer Theatricum. This was also my first time seeing The Cherry Orchard. I now would like to see this play in its original version. That said, the acting here was excellent. I was impressed on how the scenary was handled in this outdoor venue. On the negative side the seating is very uncomfortable and the sounds from the woods were distracting.
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Kristene Wallis
Member since 2007
5 Reviews
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As usual, the performances at this theater never quite make it all the way to "professional" quality. We continue to go because we love the venue itself and because the Geer sisters tend to be fun to watch. Far too often, however, the actors are unschooled in how to project properly and even though we were only in the 3rd row, many of the speeches were virtually inaudible. This isn't film, folks: There isn't a camera and microphone stuck in front of your faces. It's THEATER. Project to your audience! (And that does not mean pitch your voice into a range only a dog could enjoy. Man! What screeching from the so-called Southern Belles!)
All that aside, there were, indeed, a number of rather excellent actors in this production. They managed to make up for the others.
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Linda
Member since 2003
5 Reviews
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Excellent adaptation. We love Chekhov and enjoyed this imaginative interpretation to a more contemporary setting. Excellent acting. One of the best plays we have seen in a long time.
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GBTAPC
Member since 2009
3 Reviews
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Why on earth would you attempt to rewrite Chekov and change the entire context of the play?
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Bruce W.
Member since 2005
9 Reviews
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THE VENUE IS GREAT, THE ACTING WAS EXCELLENT. INTERESTING ADAPTATION OF CHEKHOV. LOVED IT!!!
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Goldstar Member
Member since 2008
1 Reviews
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My friends, my wife and I thoroughly enjoyed the production Saturday night. We are all theatre people and have seen the traditional "Cherry Orchard" many times. This version was fresh and new, and the update worked for all of us. Congratulations to the talented cast and crew from four thoroughly entertained audience members. (and bosh to those who belittled it).
Robert Carrelli
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Top Useful Tips
Tips are provided by Goldstar members and Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum. Goldstar is not responsible for their content or accuracy.
Dress
- Take a cover-up of some sort. It gets chilly.
- Casual
Parking And Transportation
- Bring a flashlight if you're going to park on Topanga Canyon Blvd at night.
- Parking in the theater parking lot at $5 (handicapped free) and on the road for free.
Food And Drinks
- Picnicking is the way to go!
- Snacks available on site. Restuarants within a few short miles.
- Snacks are expensive so it's better to take your own drinks, wine and snacks
Other
- Bring a pillow to sit on. Those benches are hard as rocks (of course).
- Handicapped can request a comfortable chair instead of bench seats.
More Details About The Cherry Orchard
More Information
Website: http://www.theatricum.com/Season.htm
An old Southern family desperately clings to tradition in a newly updated version of The Cherry Orchard. Anton Chekhov's poignant comedy, freely adapted by Heidi Helen Davis and Ellen Geer, opens on The Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum's outdoor stage in Topanga. Davis directs, and Geer takes on the role of Lubov Andreyevna Ranevsky - "Lillian Randolph Cunningham" in this adaptation.
Re-set in 1970s Virginia during the aftermath of the civil rights movement, this new take on a familiar classic emphasizes the timelessness of Chekhov's themes about a rapidly changing world and a way of life on the brink of destruction.
"With great reverence for Chekhovs' work, I wanted to explore the relevance of this most excellent play to our beloved America," says Davis.
Funny yet heartbreaking, The Cherry Orchard is seen by many as Chekhov's finest play. Written in 1904, the bittersweet and haunting comedy chronicles the decline of the Russian aristocracy at the turn of the 20th century through the story of one family's futile attempt to save their beloved family estate along with its famed cherry orchard. Chekhov's story of the loss of a way of life, that of the leisurely landed gentry bolstered by serf labor, offers obvious parallels to the life of the social aristocracy In the Southern U.S., with its underpinnings of slavery.
The ethnically mixed cast of Theatricum, Botanicum's The Cherry Orchard includes Ellen Geer as Lillian Randolph Cunningham (Mme. Ranevsky); William Dennis Hunt as Gates Randolph (Lionid Gaev); Steve Matt as Lawrence Poole (Lopakhin); Jerry Hoffman as Parnell Sanford (Semyonov-Pischchik); Emma Fassler as Dolores Hughes (Dunyasha); Matt Van Winkle as Buck Yankins (Yasha); Melora Marshall as Carlotta Schmidt (Carlotta); J.R. Starr as Fred Jasper (Firs); Willow Geer as Anna (Anya); Tippi Thomas as Velina (Varya); Tyler Rhoades as Yancy Ogelsby (Yepikhodov); and Marc Ewing as Terence Moses (Petya Trominov).
Heidi Helen Davis celebrates her 20th production at the Theatricum with this new adaptation of The Cherry Orchard. She is the director of last year’s much celebrated Long Day’s Journey Into Night, which was nominated for a Direction award and received a Lead Performance award for Ellen Geer from the Los Angeles Drama Critic's Circle. Last season, Heidi also directed Song of Extinction at [Inside] the Ford, which was the recipient of 2008 Production of the Year Award from the LA Weekly; the Ted Schmitt Award for the World Premiere of an Outstanding New Play from the LADCC; and the largest national award for a new play, the Harold and Mimi Steinberg/American Theatre Critics Association New Play Award. Other Theatricum directing credits include: You Never Can Tell; Watch on the Rhine; The Seagull; A Streetcar Named Desire; The Glass Menagerie; Sweet Bird of Youth; Lettice and Lovage; Our Town; and Harold and Maude, among others. She continues to teach acting at the Howard Fine Studio and East West Players; directing at the Los Angeles Film School; and acting and directing at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco.
Ellen Geer has guided The Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum repertory theater and educational academy since 1978. She has directed over 40 productions, including the works of Shakespeare, Williams, Chekhov, Wilder and classics of Greek Literature, and has acted in over 30. Her approach emphasizes ensemble work and integrates education into all aspects of the theater, and she annually teaches a Master Class in classical acting as part of Theatricum’s Intensive Shakespeare Seminar. Ms. Geer is the recipient of many awards for her dedication to theater and education; most notably, she received the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for her performance as Mary Cavan Tyrone in last year’s production of Long Day’s Journey Into Night, and she received the LA Weekly Career Achievement Award in 1999. Under her leadership, Theatricum Botanicum was recognized with the Margaret Harford Award for Sustained Excellence in Theater from the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle. In addition to her work at Theatricum, Ms. Geer is a graduate professor of classical acting at UCLA’s Department of Theater, Film and Television and is a working actress. Credits include numerous roles in film and television productions such as You, Me & Everyone We Know; Harold and Maude; Patriot Games; Clear and Present Danger; Phenomenon; and HBO’s Carnivale, to name a few. Ms. Geer is a founding member of the Tyrone Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis and a member of the Board of Trustees of the Woody Guthrie Foundation.
The beginnings of the Theatricum Botanicum can be traced to the early 1950s when Will Geer, a victim of the McCarthy-era blacklist (before he became known as the beloved Grandpa on TV's "The Waltons"), opened a theater for blacklisted actors and folk singers on his property in Topanga. Since 1973, the Theatricum has presented Shakespeare and the classics in repertory in its scenic, outdoor amphitheater in rustic Topanga Canyon.
