Uncle Vanya

by Anton Chekhov
in a new version by Heidi Schreck
Vivian Beaumont Theater, Lincoln Center, New York City

Uncle Vanya is having a moment. Andrew Scott dazzled us with a version of the Chekhov classic last year where he famously played all the roles. And just as Trevor Nunn’s acclaimed production for the Orange Tree Theatre in Richmond closes in the UK, we welcome this blistering new version by American playwright Heidi Schreck featuring Steve Carell in the title role, a show that has quickly become one of Broadway’s hottest tickets this spring. 

What is it about this tale of rural ennui, crushed dreams and unrequited love that so intrigues us? Does it throw feelings of disillusionment about our lives into sharper relief? Could it be the references to climate change that seem so current in an age of sustainability and net zero emissions? Or is it simply all the sitting around and drinking? Indeed, there’s something about this tragicomedy that irresistibly draws one in.

Shreck's casual, breezy translation immediately discards the formality typically associated with Russian drama. It’s linguistically cleaner and lighter in tone, matching the characters who are casually dressed in shorts, sweatpants and scrubs. We slowly lay the scene, getting introduced to urbane academic Alexander and his much younger second wife Elena who have come to visit his country estate. This has been faithfully managed over the years by Vanya, his brother-in-law, and Sonia, his daughter from his first marriage and Vanya’s niece. Joining the group is overworked local doctor Astrov, whom Sonia is secretly in love with. A romantic triangle soon becomes apparent as we learn that both Vanya and Astrov are besotted with the beautiful Elena.

Steve Carell, in a solid Broadway debut, leans heavily into his comic background from shows like The Office, The 40-Year-Old Virgin and Crazy, Stupid, Love. His Vanya is an immediate crowd pleaser, who sighs and moans like a happy drunk, playfully making small talk and, at one point, spontaneously dancing in the rain. It’s an endearing if slightly colourless take on a typically bitter, trenchant character. Yet what I could not reconcile was Carell's sudden transition to full blown hysterics upon hearing that Alexander wants to sell the country estate and invest its proceeds, yelling at the top of his lungs and lunging around like a madman. This just does not seem to square with the dopey, easygoing persona we had witnessed earlier and one struggles to feel for the character despite him moaning that he has lost thirty years of his life and is now utterly bereft. We seem to jump from comedy to tragedy with nothing in between. 

Photo Credit: Sara Krulwich/The New York Times

There are some truly standout performances from the rest of the cast. Alison Pill’s Sonia beautifully conveys a young woman in the throes of romantic ecstasy and delivers a moving finale speech about doing their best one can in life. Alfred Molina perfectly catches the tone-deaf pomposity of the bookish Alexander. William Jackson Harper, looking like a rakish resident straight out of Grey’s Anatomy at the start of the play, simply oozes charm as Astrov, binge drinking like a college kid and earnestly babbling on about saving the forests.  

Lila Neugebauer's production is taut and pacey, unfolding smoothly in the expansive, fan-shaped Vivian Beaumont Theatre at the Lincoln Center. Buoyed by Elizabeth Harper’s warm lighting and Beth Lake’s ambient country soundscapes, it grows progressively heavier and richer as it develops. Multimedia projections provide a nice backdrop to echo the setting and the occasional use of live music evocatively stitches scenes together. While I did rather wish for a more intimate staging to see these characters collide and combust in close quarters, this remains a faithful, compelling and thoroughly engaging version of the classic tale. 

The Crystalwords score: 3.5/5