'Uncle Vanya' is one of Anton Chekhov's best known plays, and also one of his finest. It is wordy and the characters are not people's definition of likeable (which is true of Chekhov in general on both counts), but it is like 'The Cherry Orchard' and 'Three Sisters' in being a masterpiece of mood and compellingly real characterisation. As well as balancing satire and tragedy brilliantly. Have loved many of the National Theatre Live productions and the cast is a truly great one.
For me, this 2020 production was a truly miraculous performance of 'Uncle Vanya'. Not just the best production of the play seen by me, but also one of the best productions of Chekhov in general. With it being one of the few to be completely true in spirit and his true intentions and nail the balance of satire and tragedy, even when not in the original setting. It is emotionally shattering, very thought provoking, funny in the right places and the acting couldn't be better. Absolutely a must.
It's hard knowing when to begin with the praise, but a good place to start would be the acting. Can't fault it. Have personally never seen a better or more powerful portrayal of the title role than that of Toby Jones, have never seen him so movingly tortured and proves that he can do very dramatic roles as well as character roles. Richard Armitage is ardent and sears in passionate intensity in the right places, while Roger Allam can do no wrong and doesn't disappoint. Rosalind Eleazar plays Yelena with poignancy and dignity, while Aimee Lou Wood is endearing and doesn't overdo any goofiness. The chemistry between the whole cast has the right amount of complex emotions.
Cannot fault the staging and the interpretation of the play. The staging is very intelligent and never falls into gratuitous distaste or touches that don't make sense, the drama is coherent and genuinely moves and chills while the characters feel real and the approach not too conventional or safe. One can never tell that the production was troubled by the pandemic and the circumstances perhaps enhanced the increasingly intense and tortured struggles of the characters.
What also makes this production of 'Uncle Vanya' so special is its extremely rare nailing both the comedy and tragedy. In Chekhov, there is one extreme of a production succeeding in the comedic elements while at times not delving enough into the drama and there is the other extreme where the bleak, melancholic tragedy is nailed but the comedy is almost nowhere in sight. Both the comedy and tragedy are in sight here, and not only is the satirical comedy genuinely sharp and funny and not overplayed and the dramatic and tragic elements incredibly moving and intense but the balance is spot on in a way that has rarely been done in Chekhov. The ending is shattering as ought.
Even when not in the original setting, the time period of the production is discernible and doesn't jar at all with the text (something that has been a danger with some productions of Shakespeare seen over the past few years). It also looks appealing on the eyes while being very atmospheric and feeling fresh. Chekhov's text is as powerful as can be.
Summarising, a miracle and how 'Uncle Vanya' and Chekhov should be done. 10/10.
For me, this 2020 production was a truly miraculous performance of 'Uncle Vanya'. Not just the best production of the play seen by me, but also one of the best productions of Chekhov in general. With it being one of the few to be completely true in spirit and his true intentions and nail the balance of satire and tragedy, even when not in the original setting. It is emotionally shattering, very thought provoking, funny in the right places and the acting couldn't be better. Absolutely a must.
It's hard knowing when to begin with the praise, but a good place to start would be the acting. Can't fault it. Have personally never seen a better or more powerful portrayal of the title role than that of Toby Jones, have never seen him so movingly tortured and proves that he can do very dramatic roles as well as character roles. Richard Armitage is ardent and sears in passionate intensity in the right places, while Roger Allam can do no wrong and doesn't disappoint. Rosalind Eleazar plays Yelena with poignancy and dignity, while Aimee Lou Wood is endearing and doesn't overdo any goofiness. The chemistry between the whole cast has the right amount of complex emotions.
Cannot fault the staging and the interpretation of the play. The staging is very intelligent and never falls into gratuitous distaste or touches that don't make sense, the drama is coherent and genuinely moves and chills while the characters feel real and the approach not too conventional or safe. One can never tell that the production was troubled by the pandemic and the circumstances perhaps enhanced the increasingly intense and tortured struggles of the characters.
What also makes this production of 'Uncle Vanya' so special is its extremely rare nailing both the comedy and tragedy. In Chekhov, there is one extreme of a production succeeding in the comedic elements while at times not delving enough into the drama and there is the other extreme where the bleak, melancholic tragedy is nailed but the comedy is almost nowhere in sight. Both the comedy and tragedy are in sight here, and not only is the satirical comedy genuinely sharp and funny and not overplayed and the dramatic and tragic elements incredibly moving and intense but the balance is spot on in a way that has rarely been done in Chekhov. The ending is shattering as ought.
Even when not in the original setting, the time period of the production is discernible and doesn't jar at all with the text (something that has been a danger with some productions of Shakespeare seen over the past few years). It also looks appealing on the eyes while being very atmospheric and feeling fresh. Chekhov's text is as powerful as can be.
Summarising, a miracle and how 'Uncle Vanya' and Chekhov should be done. 10/10.