Cherry Orchard at Grads

Ok, this production was a short while ago. I did run off some quick notes to a friend at the time, and i meant to consolidate them into something sensible for Gossip Central.... it didn't happen. Sharon and I have been busy buying a house :)****I should begin by confessing that I missed the entire 3rd act. We had a disastrous interval on the bar! [i was working FOH - i'll do anything for a free ticket! well, almost]The first act was fantastic. Seriously! The cast arrived on stage with a clear sense of where they had been, where they were and where they were going - even if the latter was nowhere in particular. The blocking was almost entirely effortless - but why do people insist on putting the window upstage centre? Characterisation was superb with great attention to detail. I recognised everyone immediately they entered. It was like greeting old friends!Of course, the women shone. Varya (Sue Darge) and Anya (Renate Earnshaw) were beautiful in the first act. That wonderful feeling of never knowing whether to laugh or cry. Rosemary Longhurst's Charlotte was hilarious and Celia Turk's Ranyevskaya lived up to its promises.In Act Two, I didn't quite feel that Yasha or Petya filled out the scene - a shame because Katrina Bell as Dunyasha was doing some excellent work. Michael Dunbar struggled, but it was wonderful to see how far he's come since he started classes with David Vallon and performed in The Lark six years ago.Dean Schulze was impressive and Jonno Beckett gave the best performance I've ever seen him do. Michael Louis' Firs was a delight to behold and his closing moments were very poignant indeed.Ok, so the production wasn't up to the standard of the sublime production that Chris Edmund did out at Mt Lawley a few years ago, but I do believe it well and truly surpassed a rather drab WATC production i saw at the Playhouse many years ago. I was impressed. Ok, my expectations weren't sky high, this is very difficult work! But I was still very pleased indeed and feel that it's a production that all concerned can feel justifiably proud and pleased with.