If I can't see your watch, how will I know if you are rich?
should we schlock up the stage like stanislavsky?
if the design reads ‘rich’, then we are empathizing with rich people with the resources to exert some control over their present and future.
if the design reads ‘elegant’, then we are saying that the ‘culture’ of a place is created by and belongs to the aristocrats.
Both of those interpretations were intended for The Cherry Orchard. Maybe Stanislavsky felt the coming revolution. Maybe he needed to be very clear with his audience that he saw them - how silly they are, and that he knows why they are wonderful, and that they will be missed when they are gone.
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to A Theater-Going Habit to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.