Marvelous Traces in Mundane Spaces: Finding Fantasy in Theater, Film, and Television

universal images and precise historical indications” (Kleber 581). How did Strehler choose to represent the sound of the snapping string? With silence: The characters shuddered and looked around – nothing could be heard – then the veil of cloth trembled and billowed out. The entrance of the tramp immediately after this – speaking in Russian [in an otherwise Italian translation of the play] with a slightly drunk but deeply melodious expression – extended the strangeness of the atmosphere, hinting at an unknown ominous future (Hirst 31). Strehler does not evade the sound by choosing silence, but instead engages with the meaning behind it. The moment becomes extremely unreal in its seemingly soundfilled silence, and brings something new to those in the audience awaiting the famous noise. Instead of choosing a particular sound for the moment, he creates a visual interpretation of a breaking string by vibrating the cherry orchard veil, which extends over actors and audience both. This suits Strehler’s highly visual interpretation of the play as a whole. Then, in the character of the stranger, he fantastically creates a true outsider for both the characters and the spectators by having the actor speak Russian. As with Kazan, Strehler brings out the hybrid nature of this play, and he uses this suggestion of the marvelous to create a powerful moment within his production; one of many mundane-marvelous moments he creates out of the text.