Uncle Vanya

Synopsis

Set on a crumbling country estate, Uncle Vanya is the tale of two obsessive love affairs that lead nowhere, and a flirtation that brings disaster. The irascible Vanya and his niece Sonya have managed the estate on behalf of their relative, a renowned Professor for the last twenty-five years. Now retired, the Professor and his beautiful young wife come to visit, throwing the household into disarray, igniting hidden passions and old grudges. Family ties are tested further when the ageing and gout-ridden Professor announces his plans to sell the estate and live off the proceeds in the city. By turns comic, tragic, romantic, and wistful, Chekhov's play is an unforgettable study of unfulfilled dreams and unrequited love. One of his four great masterpieces written on the eve of the twentieth century, it features a feast of subtle comic portraits of a family at logger heads with each other and the world around them, that still has resonance at the start of another new century.

Our Review:

13 September 2001

To celebrate the theatre's 25th Anniversary, the Royal Exchange has put together a stunning season of classic plays launched by a new production of Anton Chekhov's timeless masterpiece Uncle Vanya. Continuing his long association with the Royal Exchange, Tom Courtenay makes a welcome return in the title role.

Set on a crumbling country estate, Uncle Vanya is the tale of two obsessive love affairs that lead nowhere, and a flirtation that brings disaster. For the past 25 years, the irascible Vanya (Courtenay), aided by his niece Sonya (a delightful and energetic Kaye Wragg), has managed the estate on behalf of his relative, Professor Serebryakov (John Bennett). Now retired, the Professor and his beautiful young wife Yelena (Helen Schlesinger) come to visit. They throw the household into disarray, igniting hidden passions and old grudges, and family ties are tested further when the ageing and gout-ridden Professor announces his plans to sell t...

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Latest User Review

USER: Whatsonstage.com (192.51.44.43) - 15 January 2003:

Brilliant haunting production. ...

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