Purists be warned that unless they are ready for a good laugh, Ferhan Sensoy's romp through Chekhov's Cherry Orchard will leave them cringing. Sensoy transplants the familiar story to Turkey's Black Sea coast and has the cast sport the lilting accent characteristic of that region. Actually it's not so outlandish a choice, since Turkey has seen a large Russian influx there.
Estate doyenne Ranevskaya (Derya Baykal Sensoy) and daughter Anya (Ozge Catikkas) return via helicopter from America, where they acquired some outlandish outfits (costumes by Sanda Zipci) and learned to pepper their Turkish with American phrases. In Russian country-gentleman garb, spouting one-liners and ironic asides, slightly hoarse Lopakhin (Ferhan Sensoy) advances his plan to build a garden apartment complex at the estate. Where does he unwind but at the local Hotel Sahil Palas, hosting three charming young ladies of ill repute that put on can-can shows? (The trio represent the most conspicuous newcomer Russians to Turkey, popularly known as "Natashas".) They charm the arriviste Lopakhin in their seedy quarters and otherwise manage to insinuate themselves into key moments of the story. When Lopakhin hauls out a chain saw, the fate of the beloved orchard is clear. All gather on the Astroturf before the mansion for one last photo op. Sensoy's adaptation may lead the plot in unexpected directions, but the long goodbyes at the end are pure Chekhov.
Cherry Orchard with its large cast is somewhat atypical of the repertory at Ortaoyuncular Theater, where Ferhan Sensoy has held forth for the past two decades mostly with improvised one-man shows based on the day's news. Ortaoyuncular is one of the few success stories outside of government-sponsored theater circles and correspondingly enjoys fewer restrictions on theme and presentation. This midweek performance drew a large, enthusiastic audience with a goodly number of young people in attendance.
Sensoy introduced stand-up comedy to Turkey and currently holds the coveted title of Master Comedian and the symbolic hat that comes with it. His most performed work here at Ortaoyuncular and abroad is Ferhangi Seyler ("Ferhangish Things") with over 1000 performances to date in Istanbul.
