REVIEW: LCT finds the emotional poetry in ‘Uncle Vanya’
Photo: Uncle Vanya stars Anika Noni Rose in the role of Elena. Photo courtesy of LCT / Provided by official site.
NEW YORK — Lincoln Center Theater’s acclaimed production of Uncle Vanya continues for two more weeks at the Vivian Beaumont Theater on Broadway. The star-studded cast, which includes Steve Carell in the title role, is offering a touching, moving portrait of Anton Chekhov’s classic drama. They’re doing so under the helpful guise of director Lila Neugebauer and adaptor Heidi Schreck. Their words and directorial choices bring the best of this play to the forefront and allow the cast to take over from there, providing audiences with a heartfelt and often hilarious dissection of a family coming undone.
Joining Carell in the cast are Alison Pill as Sonia; Alfred Molina as her father, Alexander; and Anika Noni Rose as his wife, Elena. William Jackson Harper is the local doctor, Astrov (and perhaps the actor giving the most solid performance). An exquisite Jonathan Hadary plays the beloved character Waffles, and Broadway mainstay Jayne Houdyshell portrays Maria. Rounding out the cast are the always skilled Mia Katigbak as Marina and Spencer Donovan Jones as the neighbor.
The action of this family narrative takes place on a mostly bare stage with only a few pieces of furniture and a melancholic painting setting the scene in the background. The emotional journey of each character, rather than the accoutrement of the time period, becomes the focus of the piece. In fact, the cast members wear modern dress for this contemporary revival, although the proceedings feel somewhat timeless.
In the story, there’s a lot of love in the air around the family estate, but desires never seem to match up perfectly, leaving someone feeling left out. Sonia and Vanya, very much tied to the house and devoted to its upkeep, feel particularly stranded and isolated, almost as if they are trapped in an orbit. When the finances of the property are called into question by Alexander, secrets emerge, and dialogue turns soul-baring and condemnatory. Through it all, the characters exhibit a particular wanness in their movements and line recitations, and Vanya, it can be evidenced, is clearly suffering from depression, unable to articulate what pains him emotionally and unable to figure out a workable solution to his sadness.
Uncle Vanya, like Chekhov’s other masterpieces, including The Cherry Orchard, The Seagull and Three Sisters, couples humor with humanity, offering a simultaneous push and pull for the audience. Spending two hours and 30 minutes with this family can be great fun, but the experience can also be daunting and draining. One minute, they are the most pleasing people to be around, loving and ready to be loved, but the next minute, dejection and melancholy strike and drive everyone back to the ground.
Neugebauer, who is having a spectacular year on Broadway thanks to her other show Appropriate, is an expert at taking Schreck’s adaptation and bringing the story to life with a lived-in authenticity, and she’s aided by a stellar cast. Harper, a Tony nominee this year, is powerful and profound, not in a showy way, but a believable, understated manner. His Astrov, wearing scrubs and always seeming to come and go, is the heart of this revival.
Carell, best known for this film and TV roles, turns in a commendable and commanding Broadway debut in a role that is becoming something of a rite of passage for actors (Jay O. Sanders’ take on the character from a few years ago is still best the Vanya this critic has witnessed). Rose brings a new energy and new interpretation to the character of Elena, making her one of the most engaging people on stage. Molina are Houdyshell are fun and fitting in difficult, somewhat underwritten roles. Pill is always a welcome presence on a New York stage; she is pitch-perfect as Sonia. Katigbak is a standout, bringing a reality and poetry to Maria that is often missing from productions. Hadary imbues Waffles with warmth and solemnity.
This Uncle Vanya is a solid entry in the never-ending revival of this Russian playwright’s masterful works. There’s a reason this play, along with his other theatrical gems, continues to attract first-rate actors, top directors and skilled adaptors, all resulting in stirring productions. He has created dramas that investigate the human condition on such an elemental level that any time period and any geography in the world can identify with his findings.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Uncle Vanya. By Anton Chekov. Adapted by Heidi Schreck. Directed by Lila Neugebauer. Starring Steve Carell, Anika Noni Rose, Alison Pill, Alfred Molina, William Jackson Harper, Mia Katigbak, Jayne Houdyshell, Jonathan Hadary and Spencer Donovan Jones. Running time: 2 hours, 30 minutes. Continues through June 16 at Lincoln Center Theater’s Vivian Beaumont Theater on Broadway. Click here for more information and tickets.
