The BAFTA and Olivier Award-winning actor Kristin Scott Thomas (Electra, Slow Horses, Four Weddings and a Funeral) reunites with renowned director Ian Rickson (Uncle Vanya, Jerusalem, The Weir) for Conor McPherson’s (The Weir, Girl from the North Country, Uncle Vanya) new adaptation of The Cherry Orchard, playing the role of Lyubov Ranevskaya. The production will run at the Harold Pinter Theatre from 3rd October 2026 until 9th January 2027, with press night on 13th October. Further casting will be announced in due course.
Ian Rickson and Kristin Scott Thomas reunite to bring another Chekhov classic to the stage, with Scott Thomas having previously played Arkadian in Rickson’s acclaimed production of The Seagull which ran both in London and on Broadway; a role for which Kristin won the Olivier Award for Best Actress.
Kristin has most recently won the inaugural Leading Light Award at the Women’s Prize for Playwriting ceremony, which took place earlier this year. The award recognises the lifetime achievement by a woman in the arts with an “enduring influence, a distinguished body of work and an outstanding contribution to culture”. Other award wins and nominations include: a BAFTA and Evening Standard British Film Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Four Weddings and a Funeral, a BAFTA nomination for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Darkest Hour, and an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress for The English Patient.
Kristin Scott Thomas said “returning to The Pinter with Chekhov is like coming home to a piece of theatre that is endlessly alive. Conor McPherson’s new adaptation brings a fresh, urgent energy to The Cherry Orchard; and I am excited to be exploring Chekhov’s utterly brilliant and beautiful examination of the human heart with our director Ian Rickson.”
The Cherry Orchard, Chekhov’s final masterpiece, captures a world in delicate and inevitable transition, and remains as timeless and resonant as ever.
“Without the cherry orchard, life has no meaning to me”
When Lyubov Ranevskaya 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?
The creative team for The Cherry Orchard includes: Director: Ian Rickson; Set Designer: Chloe Lamford; Lighting Designer: Bruno Poet; Movement Director: Shelley Maxwell and Casting Director: Amy Ball CDG.
LISTINGS
THE CHERRY ORCHARD
3rd OCTOBER 2026 – 9th JANUARY 2027
HAROLD PINTER THEATRE
Performance schedule: Monday – Saturday, 7.30pm
Wednesday and Saturday, 2.30pm
*BSL Interpreted Performance on Saturday 7th November at 2.30pm, Captioned Performance on Saturday 14th November at 2.30pm and Audio Described Performance on Saturday 31st October at 2.30pm.
Ticket Prices: From £20.00
Address: Panton St, London SW1Y 4DN
Website: www.thecherryorchardplay.co.uk
Handles:
Facebook/Instagram/TikTok: @cherryorchardplay
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