The Cherry Orchard: Catastrophe and Comedy (Twayne's Masterwork Studies) (No 131) [Hardcover]

Donald Rayfield (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 146 pages
• Publisher: Twayne Pub (April 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805783644
• ISBN-13: 978-0805783643
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,404,648 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars As an actor....., April 7, 2001

By 

Jason Markouc (Mentor, OH USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Cherry Orchard Catastrophe and Comedy (Twayne's Masterwork Studies Series) (Paperback)

As an actor dealing with navigating the dangerous world of Chekhov on the stage, I am always looking to find whatever information I can on the landscape of his work. I read Rayfield's Biography of Chekhov which was quite thorough and very informative (if difficult to get through) and I picked up this one to take me a bit more into his view of Chekhov. This is a realy solid book, full of wonderfully well-thought ideas peppered with his knowledge and research, and it really helped to put some perspective on the piece. The danger is that it is Rayfield's perspective, and at times his opinions override the play as a whole. As a research tool, I'd highly recommend it for actors -- he illuminates some pretty sticky spots and gives some real useful angles on the text, as well as sharing the histories in performance and criticism. But it is all his own ideas, which are well to be respected, but he's deeply attached to making sense of the plays relative to what he's found in Chekhov's life, and THAT can be distracting and problematic. It was for me. Thankfully, he's quite clear about his opinions -- they are more than obvious. So despite those minor distractions, I would highly recommend it for anyone wanting to dig a little deeper into Chekhov's world.

0 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I found this play to be very simple., November 19, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Cherry Orchard Catastrophe and Comedy (Twayne's Masterwork Studies Series) (Paperback)

I enjoyed reading the play. But, I found it to be a very simplistic and mundane piece of literature. Overall, I enjoyed the simplicity and down-to-earth form of the play quite fascinating.