THE debate goes on: is Anton Chekhov's last play, 1904's The Cherry Orchard, a tragedy, a tragi-comedy or a "comedy in four acts", as the Russian himself called it?

Helen Wilson's splendidly robust production for York Settlement Community Players delivers on her promise to bring out the humour in Chekhov's host of colourful characters as they grapple with change, both social and financial.

The consequences of their actions may well be tragic, but they are such wonderfully recognisable warts-and-all people, with their foibles, their unrequited love, intransigence and eccentricities, that we laugh in recognition of their behaviour.

Helen Wilson loves the work of Chekhov, a passion she imbues in presenting a production of such confidence, assurance, clear understanding and obvious enjoyment.

She uses Michael Frayn's translation, far superior to the disappointing Sir John Mortimer adaptation that premiered at York Theatre Royal 15 years ago, and she backs up that judgement with excellent casting. Especially so in picking Catherine Hall to play Madame Ranyevskaya, the owner of the cherry orchard of the title, who has fallen on hard times, had to leave Paris with her extended family in tow and return to the family home and staff, knowing she must sell up.

Catherine Hall worked with the likes of Glenda Jackson and Sir Ralph Richardson on the London stage but stepped away to focus on motherhood, only returning to the boards on moving to York recently. Her Madame Ranyevskaya is beautifully enunciated, still elegant, wilful, demanding, maddening, stubborn, defiant, sad. She is demonstrative in the Russian way, which adds to both the humour and the pathos.

This is the play that foretells the rise of the third class: the gentry on their uppers; the servants restless, and the newly wealthy business class acting without conscience or empathy, purely for financial gain. Ben Sawyer captures this impressively in the ghastly businessmen Lopakhin, whom all the humour bypasses in his deadening earnestness.

Unrequited love or loving the wrong man is the second strand that plays out in the performances of Jess Murray's Anya, Cindy George's Varya and Naomi Lombard's chambermaid Dunyasha, while Daniel Wilmot plays amusingly against type as the hapless, timorous, clumsy estate clerk Yepikhodov. He should do this more often.

Seams of comedy are mined delightfully by Matt Simpson's eternally optimistic, impecunious landowner Pischik; Sonia de Lorenza's wonerfully bonkers circus act turned governess, Charlotta, and in particular Maurice Crichton's billiards-loving, gloriously indiscreet, garrulous Gayev, the show's supreme comic turn.

Roger Farrington's old, deaf family retainer Firs is in scene-stealing form too, while Andrew Isherwood's upstart footman Yasha is a picture of insouciance.

Against this comic tide, Dan Hardy cuts the intellectual outsider figure as the revolutionary idealist and perennial student Trofimov, who will forever observe and never fit in.

Mike Rogers' set design gives plenty of space against a wooden backdrop that evokes early 20th century Russia and faded wealth, and last but not least, James Witchwood reveals another bow to his stage talents by being a dab hand on violin.

This Cherry Orchard is in full bloom. Do see it.

The Cherry Orchard, York Settlement Community Players, Friargate Theatre, York, 2.30pm and 7.30pm today; 2.30pm tomorrow. Box office: 01904 613000 or online at ridinglights.org