Review: UNCLE VANYA is a Fresh Take on a Chekov Classic

The Shaw Festival continues to launch its 2016 season with a fresh take on another classic - this time Anton Chekov's UNCLE VANYA. This moving dramedy explores family harmony and dysfunction with budding loyalties and conflicting love. Jackie Maxwell, outgoing artistic director at the Shaw Festival brings to life this new adaptation by Annie Baker. It's a crisp translation with contemporary overtones that brings this Chekov classic to the new age. Neil Barclay stars as the title role and leads a talented ensemble including Donna Belleville, Kate Besworth, James Daly, Sharry Flett, Marla McLean, Patrick McManus, Peter Millard, Moya O'Connell and David Schurmann.

The premise of UNCLE VANYA is simple - though messy; Vanya (Barclay) runs a farm on the Russian countryside with his niece Sonya (McLean) whose widowed father and ailing professor Serebryakov (Schurmann) returns to the farm with a much younger second wife Yelena (O'Connell). Yelena catches the eye of Vanya - but so does another man, Astrov (McManus). Complicated, right?

UNCLE VANYA is truly an ensemble piece. It's a showcase of dysfunction as all the characters vie for their desires and try to overcome the unfulfilled lives they think they live.

Moya O'Connell solidifies herself as a key player in Shaw's 2016 season. I previously commented on her strong display in ALICE IN WONDERLAND - and her performance in UNCLE VANYA is also a highlight. Portraying the conflicted and emotionally-supressed Yelena, O'Connell is able to display a range of emotions from bonding (and gossiping) with her step-daughter over a few drinks to acting on feelings of unrequited love. It's this range of emotion, paired with her subtlety in performance that adds depth to the entire production. Like O'Connell, the rest of the actors, while not extravagant or over-the-top, know and understand the complexities of their characters so well that the synergy and chemistry created on stage is astounding.

This Chekov classic is brought to life on the stage effortlessly. With a strong production design featuring intricate props, stunning set pieces in a picturesque farm-house style. In between scenes, the supporting characters (Besworth and Daly primarily) move and change the set with precise choreography. It's this strong direction and purpose that makes UNCLE VANYA such a tightly woven piece of theatre.

However, the production begins to unwind in the second half - losing much of the charm built originally in the first act. Maybe it's the lengthiness of Chekov's work that loses steam, or maybe it's the change in pacing as the plot begins to tie itself up. Though a gunshot (or two) make it interesting enough to make it to a fulfilling end - for the characters and the audience.

UNCLE VANYA is playing at the Court House Theatre as a part of the 2016 Shaw Festival until September 11, 2016. For tickets and more information, visit shawfest.com

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