Vonya, the Russian word for "war," may not literally describe the plot of Anton Chekhov's play Uncle Vanya, but the idea of war does share many qualities with the tragicomedy. The chaos of war can easily be found in some of the more amusing and masterfully put-together scenes of the play. The family members ferociously fight amongst themselves, tossing out jokes along with insults, as the story inches toward its tragic resolution.
The play details the life of a Russian family living on a country estate. The normal way of life for the denizens of the estate has been upset by the return of the estate's former owner, Professor Serebryakov, who is seeking treatment for a nasty case of the gout. The Professor's physician is the apathetic Doctor Astrov, who has managed to seduce both the Professor's young second wife Elena and the daughter of the Professor's first marriage, Sonya. Everything is further complicated by Uncle Vanya, the hard-working caretaker of the estate, who has grown tired of his toils, which are thankless at the hands of the Professor. To make matters worse, Uncle Vanya has fallen in love with Elena, and his resentment towards the Professor and dislike of the Doctor rise to dangerous levels. The Professor's radical plan to bring the family back to its old honored roots results in disagreement and an duel, which features some marksmanship that is interesting to say the least.
Chekhov wrote Uncle Vanya in 1899. This work, along with The Three Sisters and The Cherry Orchard, is credited with helping the Moscow Art Theatre and play-writing as a whole to evolve. Uncle Vanya contains Chekhov's signature combination of humor and tragedy. His common theme of hopelessness and resignation to one's position in life also finds its way predominately into this play. Everyman Theatres' production uses Brian Friel's 1998 translation of the play. Friel is a famous Irish playwright who has succeeded in bringing the play closer to its comic roots via his translation.
The Everyman Theatre, which is putting on the production, is a small black-box style theatre, which allows the stage to be configured in radically different ways for each play. The scenery is well done, and it is amusing to watch the walls of the playhouse rotate as the scenery changes. The only noticeable fault with the set is that the paintings on the walls remain the same despite the change of scene and setting. The costumes serve their purpose of presenting traditional Russian clothing, but they are nothing spectacular. The lighting of the play is a little dark, but this helps enhance the setting since it gives the impression of the candle-lighting used in the estate. The theatre is relatively small, which creates a cozy atmosphere at the expense of the number of seats.
Most importantly, the acting in the play is superb. Mitchell H??rbert is amazing as Uncle Vanya. He manages to capture his character's various emotional states perfectly with his clear voice. This is Herbert's debut play at the Everyman Theatre and one can only hope that he will be employed in their next production. Dan Manning's delivery of his lines carries the feelings of wisdom and age in his role as Professor Serebrayakov. Deborah Hezlett (Elena) and Maia De Santi (Sonya) shine during their emotional scenes and give solid performances overall. Steven Cupo provides the comic relief as Telegin and Christopher Bloch plays Doctor Astrov.
To those unfamiliar with Checkov's work, Uncle Vanya is a great introduction. Even if you have had the pleasure of seeing this play before, it is worth seeing again to pick up on more of the sharp and quick dialogue, and enjoy Everyman Theatre's superb production.
Uncle Vanya runs through Oct. 17, Wednesday through Sunday, at Everyman Theatre, 1727 N. Charles St., (410) 752-2208.
