Kristin Scott Thomas plays Madame Ranevskaya in a new production of The Cherry Orchard directed by Ian Rickson. Conor McPherson supplies the adaptation, reuniting a creative partnership previously associated with a West End Uncle Vanya.
The Guardian’s review finds a modern directness in Scott Thomas’s portrayal, even within the play’s Russian estate setting. Chloe Lamford’s drawing room retains visible decay and faded grandeur, providing a physical counterpart to the household’s unsettled future.
The assessment describes the wider production as traditional and engaging rather than a radical reconstruction. Its interest lies in the tension between a recognisably contemporary central personality and Chekhov’s older social world, showing how performance can shift emphasis without removing the original setting.
