FREE ESSAY ON THE CHERRY ORCHARD

THE CHERRY ORCHARD

From the Anton Chekhov play, The Cherry Orchard, performed at the O'Reilly Theater, the
character Varya is quite unique. Varya embodies Chekhov's idea of comedy, she is waiting
for events to happen, but in reality they will never happen.
Varya is probably motivated by her quest for happiness, and what she really wants. She
wants to marry Lopakhin, or does she? She probably doesn't truly love him but is
motivated to marry him because she knows that she will have a less glamorous future
without him. Until the auction, she is hopeful that the Cherry Orchard and their estate
will be saved, but it is doomed from the beginning. 
Varya is a great example of Chekhov's subtextual style. She has an immense inner
conflict, and the actress who portrayed her, Lisa Levy, did an adequate job of relating
that message. Varya speaks in a highly emotional, sometimes sullen voice throughout most
of the play, and cries often. She consistently wears black clothing, as if attending a
funeral. This is probably to emphasize her outlook on her life and future in Russia. She
is 27 years old, and yet to be married, a rarity in those times, and Lopakhin has yet to
propose to her and she doesn't know why. 
As for the play's impact on my intellect and emotions, I'll be honest, it wasn't much.
This is difficult to say, knowing that Chekhov is considered one of the great playwrights
of our time. I don't know if this means that the play was over my head, or the actors
weren't that good (which I doubt). 
To me, The Cherry Orchard seemed like a play of its time, and many of us don't know the
attitudes and emotional state of mind in Russia in the turn of the last century. I think,
what Chekhov and his contemporaries and maybe play scholars might find humorous, I found
sad, even tragic, and that was not Chekhov's intentions for the play.