If you avoid Chekhov’s plays because you believe that nothing happens in them, you must see the Sydney Theatre Company’s vibrant production of “Uncle Vanya” at the Kennedy Center. The rate at which things happen is dizzying. “Uncle Vanya” takes place on a ramshackle Russian farm, which is owned by a young woman, Sonya (Hayley McElhinney), who keeps it going with the help of her middle-aged uncle, Vanya (Richard Roxburgh).
When Sonya’s father, a cranky retired professor named Serebryakov (John Bell), comes to visit, he brings his beautiful second wife, the young Yelena (Cate Blanchett), who attracts the attention of a neighboring landowner, Dr. Astrov (Hugo Weaving).
| Onstage |
| ‘Uncle Vanya’ |
| Where: The Eisenhower Theatre, Kennedy Center, 2700 F St., N.W. |
| When: 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays; 1:30 p.m. Sundays through August 27 |
| Info: Tickets start at $59; 202-467-4600; kennedy-center.org |
Immediately, chaos replaces routine. Meals are not served on time and the farm is beset by a strange kind of erotic tension, as four individuals search for love: Uncle Vanya adores Yelena, who longs for Astrov. Sonya also pines for Astrov, who only has eyes for Yelena.
Two men in particular are responsible for the success of this production: first, its adapter, Andrew Upton, whose text is colloquial and fluid; second, Hungarian director Tam?s Ascher, who gave this show its earthy, passionate feel, placing it in an unspecified period after the second World War.
Gy?rgyi Szak?cs’ costumes for the farm inhabitants are worn, brown clothes. In contrast, Yelena first appears in a spotless off-white outfit; later she appears in a brilliant burgundy dress, then a blue-gray travelling outfit. She is always in electrifying contrast to her surroundings and the characters around her.
Yet it’s not just her look that sets Yelena apart from the rest of the characters. Yelena has a wild streak and Blanchett highlights that beautifully, as she drinks with abandon from a bottle of vodka, shares a laugh with Sonya, and literally throws herself at Astrov near the end.
And although she talks about her unending “boredom,” Blanchett makes it clear that Chekhov was not writing about conventional boredom, but rather of a deeper sense of estrangement. Roxburgh is a thoroughly appealing Vanya, funny, open and honest, lost in his devotion to Yelena.
Weaving creates a brilliant Astrov, a man prone to heady talk but ready to dance his troubles away when drunk. Hayley McElhinney plays Sonya with poignant charm. The remaining members of the ensemble are first-rate.
“Uncle Vanya” is often classified as a play about failure and wasted lives. With its humor and fresh vision of Chekhov’s characters, this production dispels that interpretation, suggesting a broader, subtler definition. This “Uncle Vanya” is neither about pessimism nor optimism, it doesn’t choose between good and bad characters, it considers people and their search for work and love in a non-judgmental manner, as Chekhov intended.
