Legendary French actress, Isabelle Huppert, is set to hit the stage at the Macao Cultural Centre this Friday and Saturday (8 pm both nights), leading a reimagining of The Cherry Orchard, the final play in Russian writer Anton Chekhov’s oeuvre.
Unlike the original 1904 script, Portuguese director, Tiago Rodrigues, has shifted the setting and language from Russian to French, with Huppert playing the main role of Lyubov, an aristocratic woman who returns home from Paris to find that she must deal with her family estate being sold off to repay debts.
At a media gathering at the Macao Cultural Centre on Wednesday, Huppert told Macao News about the play’s ability to transcend borders. She noted that Chekhov explores “universal” feelings and added that at “different levels, everyone can really relate to this play because it’s really about being attached to something very private [and personal]…and being obliged to leave this and be confronted to a new world.”
Huppert’s co-star, Adama Diop, who portrays Lopakhin, a character that is sometimes depicted as the play’s antagonist, expressed agreement concerning the play’s universality, pointing out that its themes of love and loss, and the feelings experienced by the characters, transcend cultures.
On the topic of their working relationship with Rodrigues, Huppert praised the Portuguese director for providing his actors with freedom and a precise framework. The French thespian said that “from the moment I saw his work, I always wanted to work with him.”
Diop also heaped praise on the director, describing him as a “great human being” and “a very funny character” who created a “very comfortable” work environment for his actors, allowing them to pursue their own point of view regarding their roles.
[See more: Isabelle Huppert stars in ‘The Cherry Orchard’ at the Macao Cultural Centre]
When asked about her interpretation of Lyubov, Huppert described her character as a “very honest” individual who is “drawn into so many contradictory feelings.” The actress, who has bagged dozens of awards in a career spanning over five decades, also stated that Lyubov is “so emotional and sometimes so funny” and is a character who “doesn’t really care about what she should do.”
Regarding his role, Diop highlighted the parallels between Lopakhin’s slave ancestry and that of Chekhov. “He’s also the history of Chekhov himself, because [Chekhov’s] father was also a slave,” the French-Senegalese actor remarked, adding that he believed that “there is something in the part [where] Chekhov is talking about himself.”
As for her plans while in Macao, Huppert mentioned that she was interested in “experiencing the [local] atmosphere,” “walking in the streets” and perhaps “visiting museums.”
Rodrigues’ reinterpretation of The Cherry Orchard served as one of the opening shows of the 2021 edition of the world-renowned French performing arts event, the Avignon Festival, which celebrated its 75th anniversary that year.
Tickets for the Macao performances of the 2 hour 30 minute show can still be purchased via the Enjoy Macao Ticketing website, Damai and Maoyan. More information can be found by accessing via the Cultural Affair Bureau’s website or by phoning (853)2840 0555.
The Macao performances of The Cherry Orchard will be the first leg of a wider China tour of the play, with further shows set to take place in Shanghai, Nanjing and Beijing.
