CLC Theatre department presents 'The Cherry Orchard'
A family on the edge of ruin and a country on the brink of revolution is the setting for the College of Lake County Theatre department's production of "The Cherry Orchard," written by Anton Chekhov and translated by Tom Stoppard.
In the play, a once-wealthy family struggles to save its estate and beloved cherry orchard, which have been put up for auction to pay their debts. Will they sacrifice their past glory to save their beloved orchard, or will denial and inaction seal their fate?
Performances will take place at 7:30 p.m. March 3-4 and 9-11; 2 p.m. March 5; and 10 a.m. March 10 for high school students.
Set in 1904 Russia after a turbulent 40-year period, "The Cherry Orchard" is about change and how society adapts to it.
"Revolution is in the air and has been in the air. However, the play isn't overtly political, and that's one thing I like about it," Director Scott Mullins said.
"The show looks at a family and how willing they are to adapt to changes in the social and political environment. With our country currently facing a time of flux and change, I think it's interesting to look at how people adapt to change," he said.
Mullins read six translations of the Russian play before selecting this one by Tom Stoppard, an English playwright famous for "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead" and "Every Good Boy Deserves Favour."
Stoppard also co-wrote the Academy Award-winning screenplay for "Shakespeare in Love."
Stoppard's use of language is vital to the play's accessibility, Mullins said.
"What happens to the people is tragic, but Stoppard does a great job with the language that makes it comedic at same time," he said.
The New York Times praised Stoppard's translation, saying "This 'Cherry Orchard' is a nimble, new version by Tom Stoppard that invites fresh comic shadings, pushes that sense of the incongruous not so much into farce as into 'Alice in Wonderland' absurdity ... Mr. Stoppard's adaptation is full of classically Stoppardesque instances of eloquence gone awry."
Mullins was surprised to learn this is the first Chekhov play done by the CLC Theatre department in its 48-year history.
"Like Henrik Ibsen, Chekhov is one of the seminal playwrights of modern theater who wrote classic stories that stand the test of time. These are relevant stories of the human condition; classics that a well-read person should know," Mullins said.
"The Cherry Orchard" cast includes: Rodrigo Arreola of Lake Bluff as Lopahkin; Jeff Brain of Antioch as Pishchik; Brooke Buchtenkirch of Round Lake Beach as Charlotta; Ben Compton of Winthrop Harbor as Yepikhodov; Moisés Diaz of Waukegan as Trofimov; Emma Dreher of Libertyville as Ranevskaya; Jessie Ellingsen of Skokie as Varya; Alexander Gray of Zion as Station Master; Terry Healy of Mundelein as Firs; Juan Hernandez of Round Lake Beach as Passerby and Servant; Cole Hessenthaler of Zion as Parlor Maid; Jenna Eve Kleinofen of Grayslake as Dunyasha; Rachael Lester of Libertyville as Anya; Max Ramage of Zion as Post Office Clerk; Ned Ricks of Gurnee as Gaev; and Richard Seng of Round Lake Park as Yasha.
Performances will take place in the Studio Theatre, James Lumber Center for the Performing Arts, 19351 W. Washington St., Grayslake.
Tickets are $12 for general admission; $10 for CLC students and staff, teens and seniors ages 65 and older. Ticket prices include JLC $2 facility fee). Special price tickets: Buy one ticket, get one free for March 3 and 9 shows.
For tickets, call (847) 543-2300 or visit www.clcillinois.edu/tickets. The Box Office is open Monday through Friday from noon to 5 p.m. and 60 minutes prior to each performance at the Studio Theatre of the James Lumber Center for the Performing Arts, 19351 W. Washington St., Grayslake.