The Cherry Orchard 

This play review is on another light-hearted, comedic, and nostalgic tale by a brilliant playwright. There are four main characters in the play, all family members. The mother is Lyubov, who is extrememely empathetic, gives her money and belongings away to those in need, and cherishes her childhood home. Her brother, Gaev, also loves their home, is humorous, and impulsive. The two arrive at the home they had left long ago with Lyubov's two daughters, Varya and Anya, the other two characters who seem to be central in the play. There is a beautiful orchard on their property. 

The main thrust of the play is that the family has lost or spent so much money that the house and property are in arrears, and may soon be sold soon to someone else if the family cannot come up with enough money to keep it.

The characters in the play are all beautifully drawn, and the plot keeps you on your seat a bit. The family's love for their home and orchard is touching. I think if I were to meet these characters in real life they would be interesting to know; good-hearted, likable, and a bit eccentric, as well.

As I have said, Anton Chekov was an amazing, Russian playwright and short story teller, and he is usually considered a master in his own right. My book of great Russian plays actually contained six plays, and not four, as I had probably indicated when I made my post about Turgenev's play entitled A Month in the Country. If you have a chance, try the book with the four plays, including The Cherry Orchard, A Month in the Country, The Inspector General by Gogol, and The Lower Depths by Gorky. I can't believe the two plays not in this book included one by Tolstoy and Andreyev, as they are unbelievable writers, themselves. How can one even talk about Russian literature without mentioning Tolstoy? Well, in the introduction in my book it says Americans walk out of plays that are dark, which probably explains why. Tolstoy's play is called The Power of Darkness, and Andreyev's is entitled He Who Gets Slapped. They are both deep, psychological, and at least somewhat dark, which is a hallmark for a lot of Russian writing. I did not like Gogol's satirical play as much, although it was entertaining, and The Lower depths is only a little dark at one point, but it is only my opinion. The book on google is well-worth reading, and I think is called Four Great Russian Plays.