Anton Chekhov’s Uncle
Vanya in an adaptation by Conor McPherson receives a masterly
production at the Harold Pinter Theatre in London. Directed by Ian Rickson, the
production brings out all the desolation, boredom, despair and unhappiness of
the characters as well as providing an image of Russia that is reflected by
them.
Uncle Vanya is set on a provincial estate and it is sub-titled “Scenes
from Country Life in Four Acts.” Indeed, the play is supposed to take place in
the garden of the estate, the dining room, the drawing room and Vanya’s room. Rickson
and designer Rae Smith have opted for a single set. They use a large room that
looks like an undusted space in an abandoned museum. It may have had previous
glory but now it looks depressing.
Toby Jones,
Aimee Lou Wood and Rosalind Eleazar. Photo: © Johan Persson
Despite that and the general
malaise of the people, the production has considerable humour. In fact, Rickson
manages to get a laugh in the first couple of lines and throughout the
performance. Marvelous.
Professor Serebryakov (Ciarán
Hinds) returns to his estate from his teaching post accompanied by his
beautiful, 27-year old second wife Yelena (Rosalind Eleazar) who is about 40
years younger than him. The professor writes books and treatises that no one
cares about and are published in journals that no one reads. He is an
intellectual who contributes nothing to society. He is what 19th
century novelist Ivan Goncharov called Oblomov, an aristocrat and useless human.
Hinds is superb in the role and brings out the professor’s hypochondria, lack
of common sense and bad temperament.
Dr. Astrov is a middle-aged man
who is tired of his profession and is examining the state of the country
surrounding the estate. He sees deforestation, destruction and desolation. He
is a modern-day climate change watcher who is emotionally barren until he falls
in love with Yelena only to be rejected. Richard Armitage is an energetic and
sympathetic Astrov who gets nowhere.
Toby Jones is Uncle Vanya. He has
been running the estate for twenty years with Sonya, the daughter of the
professor by his (the professor’s) first wife. The latter was his sister and
the estate belonged to her. Vanya has nothing and if the professor sells the
estate as he threatens, he will have nowhere to go. His humour is on par with his emotional outbursts and both are done expertly by
Jones in a superb performance.
Richard Armitage
and Peter Wight. Photo © Johan Persson
Eleazar as the beautiful and
totally bored Yelena stirs up emotions and creates tensions and complications
when Astrov and Vanya fall in love with her. Do we sympathize with Yelena the
St. Petersburg snob? Excellent work by Eleazar.
Unreserved kudos go to Anna
Calder-Marshall as the old nurse Nana who is humane and tolerant; Dearbhla
Molloy as Mariya, Vanya’s mother and the professor’s faithful assistant; Peter
Wright as Telegin, an old former landowner who has fallen on bad times; and
Aimee Lou Wood, the professor’s sad daughter who loves Astrov but he does not
reciprocate and who may be the only optimistic character in the play.
The ensemble acting is of
sterling quality. That can only be achieved when there is directorial
discipline and acting ability. Rickson shows that he is a master of both.
This is a highly nuanced and
successful production. It grabs the audience from the opening scene and keeps
us riveted until the final, somewhat ambiguous end of the play. In short, a
very good night at the theatre.
________
Uncle Vanya by Anton Chekhov in an
adaptation by Conor McPherson continues until May 2, 2020 at the Harold Pinter
Theatre, Panton St, London SW1Y 4DN.
James Karas is the Senior Editor - Culture of The Greek Press
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