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Kristin Scott Thomas returns to the West End in a gripping new production of THE CHERRY ORCHARD, Anton Chekhov’s poignant and piercing tragicomedy about a family on the brink of irreversible change. Directed by Olivier and Tony Award nominee Ian Rickson (Uncle Vanya, Jerusalem, The Weir), in a new adaptation by Conor McPherson (The Weir, The Girl From The North Country), and produced by Sonia Friedman Productions (Leopoldstadt, Jerusalem, The Ferryman), Chekhov’s final masterpiece captures a world in delicate, inevitable transition – and remains as timeless and resonant as ever.
“Without the cherry orchard, life has no meaning to me”
When Lyubov Ranevskaya (Kristin Scott Thomas) returns to her childhood estate after years abroad, she finds her family home and beloved cherry orchard under threat.
As old loyalties falter and new ambitions rise, a world of privilege begins to crumble. Can Lyubov embrace the future, or will the pull of memory prove impossible to escape?
Don’t miss this deeply moving portrait of love, loss and letting go...
It reunites director Ian Rickson and Kristin Scott Thomas, who worked together on a legendary revival of The Seagull at the Royal Court almost 20 years ago with a cast which included Carey Mulligan and Mackenzie Crook. Scott Thomas—who plays MI5 spy boss Diana Taverner in the hit TV series Slow Horses—bagged an Olivier for her role. She is probably due another one, and playing Lyubov Ranevskaya, the feckless landowner who returns to her family estates which are facing ruin, could be the role to bag it for her. Rickson also scored a hit with Uncle Vanya, which opened in the West End in 2020, a run cut short by the pandemic.
This Cherry Orchard comes in a new version by Connor McPherson—the most Chekhovian of Irish writers, who also adapted Rickson’s Vanya. The Cherry Orchard is a play haunted by ghosts, most notably that of a dead child, and McPherson, in plays such as The Weir, Dublin Carol and The Brightening Air, has proved he knows more than a few things about the ghosts that haunt us.
This Cherry Orchard has a very fine cast too. The much-under-rated Stephen Mangan moves pretty well straight from The Truth at the Apollo to playing Lopakhin, the self-made man, who, to Ranevskaya and her family’s horror, suggests that cutting down the much-loved cherry orchard and using the land for holiday homes might be a way forward. Vinette Robinson, such a genuinely surprising actor-- plays Varya, the family’s adopted daughter who is as powerless as the cherry orchard to escape her fate. The small but crucial role of Firs, the old family retainer, is played by that very fine veteran actor, Karl Johnson.
22 Jul, 2026 | By Lyn Gardner
Stephen Mangan is set to star alongside the previously announced Kristin Scott Thomas in a new West End production of The Cherry Orchard. Anton Chekhov’s final play will be presented in a fresh adaptation by Conor McPherson, directed by Ian Rickson, at the Harold Pinter Theatre from 3 October 2026 to 9 January 2027, with press night scheduled for 13 October.
Mangan, known for his work in The Split and Episodes, will take on the role of Lopakhin, appearing opposite Scott Thomas as Lyubov Ranevskaya. The pair lead a strong supporting cast including Ruby Bentall as Sharlotta, Megan Cusack as Dunyasha, Karl Johnson as Firs, Noof Ousellam as Yasha, Nadia Parkes as Anya, Jack Riddiford as Trofimov, Vinette Robinson as Varya, Shubham Saraf as Yepikhodov and Peter Wight as Gaev. Further casting is expected to be announced.
16 Jul, 2026 | By Hay Brunsdon
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