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A CurtainUp Review
Uncle Vanya

By David Lohrey

Thanks to you the best years of my life have been thrown down the drain.
---Vanya
It is easy for optimistic Americans to see the gloom and doom in Chekhov. Futility is not embraced here with the enthusiasm of the Russians, but despite our national differences it is important to remember the comic elements Chekhov strove to find in mismatched love triangles and the paralysis of self-consciousness. Uncle Vanya, as deeply moving as it should be, is never merely a tragedy, however tragic Uncle Vanya's life may seem to him to be. This in any case is what productions of this wonderful play should strive for. The Jean Cocteau Repertory's production largely succeeds because director Eve Adamson has rightly cast her heavyweights where they belong and given poor Uncle Vanya a light touch.

The Cocteau production succeeds largely due to the sure hand of its veteran director, who not only knows her actors and thus has cast both surprisingly and well, but who makes masterful use of the Cocteau's narrow stage. Ms Adamson's lighting design is worth the price of admission. She creates an enchantingly magical world of dark shadows cut by shards of light. It is as though 20th century expressionism were intruding on an impressionistic world. Beautiful and intelligent, this lighting design captures the bold work of this company at its best.

Harris Berlinsky (Vanya) is a highly mannered actor. At times, and in some roles, he appears altogether too quirky for his own good. He is not an obvious choice for this role, and age is not the only issue. Here his oddities do not distract but rather enhance his performance, largely because Uncle Vanya himself is an obnoxious character, however loveable we - the audience - may find him. Berlinsky is not an especially attractive actor, but neither is Vanya, so when Yelena pushes him away, we understand both his pain and her revulsion. Berlinsky delivers the finest performance of the last few seasons and in the end triumphs as the neurotic who deserves compassion.

Craig Smith as Astrov rises to the occasion again, playing a much younger man with verve. Smith has tremendous physical energy and a compelling intelligence, so it really is no surprise that he can pull off this part. We can readily understand why both Yelena (Elise Stone) and Sonya (Amanda Jones) have convinced themselves they can't live without him. Ms Stone's voice alone could awaken the dead, so it takes very little strain to understand why her presence and that of her neurotic, demanding husband have turned the household upside down. If only people were attracted to their proper mates. Vanya is pitiful around Yelena, but so is Sonya around Astrov. Ms Jones as ever conveys true, real convictions. She is an usually sincere actress. Her innocence and sweetness are very touching and work well to add depth to this role.

There is no disappointing performance, no misstep in this production. Klingelhoefer's simple set does the trick, as do the more than competent costumes designed by Margaret McKowen. If anything, the costumes could be less and do less, but that's a small point. Given the fine performances, who cares? It's not easy for a little theatre to work in the shadow of the big boys (like the high profile production from London currently at BAM), but when the work is as good as this, the Cocteau should never fear being overshadowed.

LINKS
Friel's Vanya in London and Brooklyn
Uncle/Aunt Vanya/freely adapted from Chekhov
Uncle Vanya at the Roundabout
Friel's Uncle Vanya at Lincoln Center's Friel Festival
Uncle Jack--a modernized adaptation

CurtainUp's Chekhov Backgrounder

Uncle Vanya
Written by Anton Chekhov.
Director: Eve Adamson.
Cast: With Harris Berlinsky, Christopher Black, Eileen Glenn, Angus Hepburn, Brian Lee Huynh, Amanda Jones, Marlene May, Craig Smith, and Elise Stone.
Scenic Design: Robert Klingelhoefer.
Lighting Design: Eve Adamson.
Costume Design: Margaret McKowen.
Original music: Ellen Mandel.
Running Time: 2 Hours & 10 minutes, plus one 15-minute intermissionsbr> Jean Cocteau Repertory, 330 Bowery,212/ 677-0060. web site
Opens 1/10/2003. Runs thru 03/02/2003. Tues at 7pm, Wed - Sat. at 8pm. Sunday mat at 3pm.
Reviewed by David Lohrey based on performance of 01/16/03.
©Copyright 2003, Elyse Sommer, CurtainUp.
Information from this site may not be reproduced in print or online without specific permission from esommer@curtainup.com