Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Steve Carell is ideally cast in the title role of Heidi Schreck’s emotionally accessible modern dress UNCLE VANYA

• By drediman
• April 25, 2024
• No Comments

Last night, a new take on Anton Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya officially opened at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre. Presented by Lincoln Center Theater, the perennially-staged classic is the latest version to breathe new life into the characters of Vanya, his niece Sonia, and the play’s bevy of other well-known roles. For those of you unfamiliar with the play, it tells the story of the aforementioned Sonia and her uncle Vanya, whose modest lives in a rural family estate are disrupted when Sonia’s father (Vanya’s brother-in-law) and new wife arrive from the city for an indefinite amount of time.

The new adaptation by Heidi Schreck — perhaps best known for her acclaimed mostly solo show What the Constitution Means to Me — does a skillful job of bringing the play to present times without any of the distracting gimmickry of some modern updates of classic plays I’ve encountered; no truly radical choices have been made here. Overall, the adaptation does a nice job of staying largely faithful to the underlying play, which will please most of the Chekhov purists out there. While Schreck’s version may not be the most devastating I’ve seen (and l’ve seen many a version of Uncle Vanya over the years), the playwright should be commended for successfully, albeit subtly, putting a contemporary spin on the anxieties — some more petty than others — that pre-occupy many of the play’s characters. This emotional accessibility is where Schreck’s adaptation distinguishes itself most.

It’s been fascinating to see two noteworthy productions — in drastically differing scales — in a single season. In contrast to the exceedingly intimate David Cromer-led production of the play I saw earlier in the season (staged in an actual Manhattan apartment!), director Lila Neugebauer’s revival goes the other extreme, painting the vast Beaumont stage with haunting, distancing melancholy. The cast is excellent from top to bottom. Film star Steve Carell is ideally cast in the title role and is tragic-comedy incarnate, while Alison Pill easily exudes the requisite sweetness and resignation as Sonia. Additionally, Alfred Molina strikes a perfect chord as Sonia’s boisterous and infuriating father, Anika Noni Rose gives a sultry yet matter-of-fact performance as his wife, and William Jackson Harper makes for a particularly vulnerable and likeable local doctor.

RECOMMENDED

UNCLE VANYA
Broadway, Play
Lincoln Center Theater at the Vivian Beaumont
2 hours, 30 minutes (with one intermission)
Through June 16