The Cherry Orchard

GEORGE: Yeah. I think we really go something here.

JERRY: What do we got?

GEORGE: An idea.

JERRY: What idea?

GEORGE: An idea for the show.

JERRY: I still don't know what the idea is.

GEORGE: It's about nothing. 

JERRY: Right.

GEORGE: Everybody's doing something, we'll do nothing.

JERRY: So, we go into NBC, we tell them we've got an idea for a show about nothing.

GEORGE: Exactly.

JERRY: They say, "What's your show about?" I say, "Nothing."

GEORGE: There you go.

(A moment passes)

JERRY: (Nodding) I think you may have something there.

Seinfeld, the self-proclaimed “show about nothing,” shares many similarities to The Cherry Orchard. While New York city in the early 1990s and Russia in 1904 are not exactly the two most similar places, both draw comedy in the absence of events. In The Cherry Orchard many of the events take place off stage, included arguably the most important; the auction of the property. While Seinfeld does have simple plots in each episode the majority of them end with a screen shot of a major event or twist in the plot that is left open ended and not returned to in subsequent episodes. Liubov fails to act and eventually loses her estate, which parallels George Costanza frequent failures in life as he returns to his parent’s home and moves in after multiple failed jobs. Seinfeld draws many of its laughs from situations that are easy to relate to and very common through out contemporary society. Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard also draws laughter from everyday situations and even the lack there of. The Failure to listen to Lopakhin’s advice about revamping the orchard can be related to anything life throws at you that brings the shoulda coulda woulda type questions and hindsight. In the end there are relationships that are made and the youth in the play has some success, much like there are things that go well for the Seinfeld characters in any given episode, although throughout the show they are meant to have ups and downs much like any average citizen would.