Sydney Theatre Company and Goldman Sachs in association with Bell Shakespeare present
Uncle Vanya
by Anton Chekhov,
Adapted by Andrew Upton
On a dilapidated, remote farm Uncle Vanya and his niece Sonya have worked slavishly to sustain an estate in decline. And so it has been for years.
Now Professor Serebryakov and his beautiful young wife, Yelena, have returned to visit. Adding to the chaos and disruption are the constant visits of the charismatic Astrov. Lunch is no longer served at lunch time - now it is procrastinated until dusk - work is forgotten and the long, cool nights have become sleepless.
From this hotbed of disarray grow three consuming love affairs, each of which is destined to wither in disappointment before it has reached bloom.
It is in this climate of frustration and hopelessness that the Professor chooses to unveil his shocking plan to sell the estate. Faced with an uncertain future, Vanya is provoked into an act of violence which is as humiliatingly unsuccessful as his attempts at romance.
Gliding effortlessly between comedy and tragedy, this treasured classic from Anton Chekhov lays bare the fruitlessness of human endeavour with exceptional warmth, humour and insight.
2 Hours 45 Minutes, Including Interval
Venue: Sydney Theatre, Walsh Bay
Photos: Derek Henderson
Reviews
"Tamas Ascher's superb production of Uncle Vanya.... is gloriously fresh, funny and poignant." The Australian
"Across the board the performances are exceptional" The Sydney Morning Herald
"Sydney Theatre Company's new production of Uncle Vanya is a triumph. It respects the poignancy of Chekhov's gloriously spare writing and simultaneously revels in the sometimes farcical, often brutal humour.... Each of the performances are excellent" The Daily Telegraph
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As a fan of Tamas Ascher's works I would like to share a story with those who might like his latest at Sydney Theatre. By telling it I would like to illustrate how deeply he is concerned about the best portrayal of the plays' characters. The story was told on TV by a very popular actress, who used to play at his home theatre in Budapest, Hungary. After Ascher's direction of Chekhov's Three Sisters had been running for more than a decade, the theatre management retired the play and threw a party to celebrate many years of success. At the party cast and crew were having a good time sharing stories from the early years up to the last performance. The actress and Ascher were having a conversation about the character that the actress had been playing, and suddlenly Tamas comes up with an idea and starts telling passionately about what they could try to make one scene work even better. The actress had to wait a while before she could interrupt and say "Tamas, you do know this was the last show, right? We are never playing it again, it's over." ... "Right, right, but still..." said Ascher - embarrassed that he forgot - and tried to convince people around him that this was still worth discussing. I don't know if they did continue the discussion, but he wanted to, because the play was still important for him, there were still new things to experiment with. I hope many people will go and see what this guy and the Syd TC made of Uncle Vanya. I would love to see it myself, but Budapest to Sydney is quite a trip to make for one play. - Peter
Simply one of the best productions I have seen this year. Sensational cast! I was drawn into the story, often finding myself nodding in response to comments, or holding my breath in anticipation. It was everything theatre should be and more! 10/10! - renee
