The actor Alexander Vishnevsky also asked Chekhov in January 1902 that he should write a new play: ‘…For the next season we need your new play, otherwise the interest to our theatre will wane, and you alone are the strength of our theatre …’.
Chekhov himself also wanted to write a new comedy for the theatre. Discussing the feedback on the performance of ‘Three Sisters’ with his wife, actress Olga Knipper, and thinking about the future repertoire of the theatre Chekhov He wrote from Yalta: ‘The next play I’m going to write, will be definitely funny, very funny, at least in my idea’.
Soon after Chekhov began working at “Cherry Orchard”, his health problems again aggravated. He was losing strength rapidly, with every passing month. In September 1903, the rough version of the play was ready. In one of his letters we can read: “…I”ve nearly finished the play, it should be copied out, but my illness does not allow doing that, and as to dictating, I cannot do that …”. Finally, 14 October 1903, Chekhov sent the ready play to the Art Theatre. He confessed in a letter to his wife that he was writing the play “with agonizing slowness, with long intervals, with upset stomach, with cough”.
“The Cherry Orchard” was the last performance of Chekhov’s play in his lifetime in the Moscow Art Theatre. The premiere took place 17 January 1904. It was timed to coincide with Chekhov’s birthday when the writer’s friends decided to celebrate the 25th anniversary of his creative work. During ‘The Cherry Orchard’ premiere, in the interval after the 3rd act, the celebration was arranged. All the ‘literary and artistic circles of Moscow’ gathered in the theatre hall. The performance was a great success.
