Review: UNCLE VANYA, Crucible Studio, Sheffield

Chekhov classic Uncle Vanya has been given a new update here by writer Peter Gill in this co-production between Theatre Clwyd and Sheffield Theatres. Whilst its language may be fresh, Gill and director Tamara Harvey - on directing duties - have set it in the 1890s, when it was originally written. However, even with the period costume and furniture/props, if you'd said it was set in 2017, I'd have believed you (especially with the current obsession with vintage clothes and artefacts).

The themes Chekhov wrestles with here are timeless: family, money, love, knowledge, status, duty - and a deep concern about the environment. When Astrov (Oliver Dimsdale) talks about trees being chopped down and wasted, you could feel the impact reverberating around the theatre - Sheffield currently is, and has been for the past year or more, a city where battle is being done over tree felling on a grand scale, so the doctor's words about environmental destruction felt very pertinent - and deeply sad.

The play is set in the round, which is a perfect staging choice for a piece that's so contained. It makes the audience, in effect, the walls keeping Vanya and Sonya trapped in the family home. As they feel scrutinised by God, their ancestors, and other unknown observers, we become that presence watching them from every angle.

Lucy Osborne's design lends itself very well to this setting. A tiled floor sets the stage throughout, with furniture being used to indicate which room we are in - including the garden always hemmed in by the audience. A giant set of tree branches hangs above the stage, situated in what appears to be a large golden picture frame.

This clever piece of design blurs the inside and the outside of the home - and also blurs the boundaries between art, nature and the built environment. This ceiling both presses in on the characters, adding to the claustrophobia of the play, whilst hinting at a world beyond the family home.

The performances are excellent and do the characters real justice. The actors perform in their own accents, which some people may not like, but I think it solves the problem of watching for accent slippage and allows you to become engrossed in what they are saying and doing more easily.

At the centre of it, Jamie Ballard is a force of nature as Vanya: hilarious, tragic, energetic, entirely captivating. As Sonia, Rosie Sheehy also gives a real powerhouse performance, putting every ounce of her energy into the role; when the character speaks of her exhaustion and sadness, you can really see that in her face and body. The rest of the cast are equally great - even those with small roles have clarity and depth in their characterisation.

This production is beautifully lit, immaculately designed, energetically performed and cleverly directed. There are some really neat little touches, such as characters travelling around the back of the theatre making noise, as if they were travelling through corridors in the house, and beautiful attention to detail in terms of props - really important in an intimate performance space where there is nowhere to hide.

If I were to find any faults with this production, some may not appreciate how contemporary Peter Gill's language is - and at times, partly due to the accents, it can be difficult to remember that we are meant to be in Eastern Europe rather than in Britain, but perhaps that is the point.

The themes of Chekhov's play are relevant regardless of time or location. And this production demonstrates just how important his work remains, and how fresh classics can feel when there is real imagination put in to their production.

Uncle Vanya is at the Crucible Studio, Sheffield until November 4

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