This is all surprising and perhaps why Scott and the London productions won several major awards last year. The technical elements are exemplary, but not dollars that shine more than they need. (The spare set is due to the cool lights by Rosannavis, James Farncom, and the fantastic sound of Dumbalfour.) And while Scott never changes his outfit, you can find that your memory provided him with a full wardrobe of 19th century outfits – grey pants, a short-sleeved teal shirt, white sneakers, and Natalie Price.
But all of that skill (and the chance to see it in close range at the 295-seat Broadway Theatre) is just part of what makes this “vanya” so good. If Scott is only skilled in the fantasy of a Switcher, playing two halves of the conversation at the same time, shooting someone and getting shot, Chekhov is charming, but not new, as great theatre requires. Certainly, the “regular” production of “Uncle Vanya” with eight cloned Scott doing eight separate things is not something I would expect to enjoy as much as I've seen it do it all together.
It is emotion to make production an example, like the play itself. I don't want to think about why Scott is such a sad machine, but tears (and blush and glow and Sners) lie very shallowly under his skin. He rarely speaks up. Emotions clearly come directly and carefully from his heart, so he narrows them directly and carefully from your heart. That way, he feels that even a small number of missteps in the production are inevitable. Who knew that Chekhov wrote it?
I have now seen so many updated adaptations of “Uncle Vanya” (and “Segal”, “Cherry Orchard” and “Three Sisters”), so despite the general inferiority of those productions, they are beginning to crowd the originals. This “Vanya” is a reset. It's as strange as a concept, and the best I've seen in performance. It's strange to gather the rest into one body and filter the emotions through one sensibility. It makes the character very character and creates the widest possible range of human emotions, experiences, intelligence and stupidity. As I did, you may feel that you have finally met Chekhov himself when you meet a crowded congregation through Scott.
Vanya
It will be held at the Lucille Lortel Theater in Manhattan until May 11th. lortel.org. Running time: 1 hour 55 minutes.
