The first rehearsal images have been released for The Cherry Orchard, which brings Kristin Scott Thomas and Stephen Mangan to the Harold Pinter Theatre next month in Ian Rickson’s production of Chekhov’s last play.
Rehearsal photographs have been released for The Cherry Orchard, which begins previews at the Harold Pinter Theatre on Saturday 3 October 2026. They were taken by Johan Persson in the rehearsal room, where Ian Rickson is directing Anton Chekhov’s final play in a new adaptation by Conor McPherson.
Kristin Scott Thomas plays Lyubov Ranevskaya, the landowner who comes home to an estate she can no longer afford, and Stephen Mangan plays Lopakhin. It is the second Chekhov that Rickson and Scott Thomas have made together. She won the Olivier Award for Best Actress as Arkadina in his production of The Seagull, which was seen in London and on Broadway.
For Mangan the production is a return to both the director and the address. He appeared in Rickson’s revival of Harold Pinter’s The Birthday Party at this theatre in 2018.
They are joined by Ruby Bentall as Sharlotta, Megan Cusack as Dunyasha, Karl Johnson as Firs, Anastasia Martin as Anya, Noof Ousellam as Yasha, Jeff Rawle as Pishchik, Jack Riddiford as Trofimov, Vinette Robinson as Varya, Shubham Saraf as Yepikhodov and Peter Wight as Gaev.
The travelling band is made up of Kathleen Cranham, Rachel Dawson and Fergus Murphy, who also cover roles in the company. The further understudies are Philip Bosworth, Alex Childs, Paul Easom and Miles Paloma.
Rickson and McPherson have worked together since 1997, when Rickson directed the first production of McPherson’s The Weir, and again on Uncle Vanya in 2020.
The set is designed by Chloe Lamford and the costumes by Sussie Juhlin-Wallén, with lighting by Bruno Poet, sound by Tom Gibbons, music by Stephen Warbeck, movement direction by Shelley Maxwell and casting by Amy Ball CDG. The production is presented in the West End by Sonia Friedman Productions and Winkler & Smalberg.
The Cherry Orchard runs from Saturday 3 October 2026 to Saturday 9 January 2027, with opening night on Tuesday 13 October 2026. Performances are Monday to Saturday at 7.30pm, with matinees on Wednesday and Saturday at 2.30pm, and tickets start at £25. An audio-described performance is given on Saturday 31 October at 2.30pm, a BSL-interpreted performance on Saturday 7 November at 2.30pm and a captioned performance on Saturday 14 November at 2.30pm. Tickets are on sale now.
