Uncle Vanya - Orange Tree

[Dave B]

Full cast announced today, from March 02nd.

Nunn directs James Lance as Vanya, whose performance as Trent Crimm in Richmond-set Ted Lasso earnt him an Emmy award nomination and two SAG Award nominations, alongside Andrew Richardson whose performance in the Bridge Theatre’s smash hit Guys and Dolls earnt him an Evening Standard award nomination. David Ahmad (The Crucible – National Theatre), William Chubb (Othello, The History Boys – National Theatre), Juliet Garricks (The Doctor – Park Avenue Armory, New York, and Almeida Theatre), Madeleine Gray (A Murder Has Been Arranged – Theatre Royal Windsor), Lily Sacofsky (Three Days in the Country – National Theatre),and Susan Tracy (A Chorus of Disapproval – Harold Pinter Theatre).

[Jan]

Interesting casting. In Russia I believe the play is usually presented as far more of a comedy than it is in the usual UK wistful production. It would be interesting to see it done in that way. Steve Carrell recently played the role in USA.

[Marwood]

The Steve Carell version is yet to come: myself, I’m Vanya’d out after the Andrew Scott version last year and the diabolical version that was on at The Other Palace about ten years ago (which was so crap it inspired me to post my first review on the old forum)

[aspieandy]

Trevor Nunn's second directorial endowment and we're only five minutes into the Littler era - he was semi-regular at Jermyn Street as well, iirc*. Whether very limited space or in-the-round, he's up for the challenge. Shaping up nicely out west.

* definitely did that Beckett triple a couple of years ago

[Jan]

Jan 15, 2024 20:27:48 GMT aspieandy said:

Trevor Nunn's second directorial endowment and we're only five minutes into the Littler era - he was semi-regular at Jermyn Street as well, iirc*. Whether very limited space or in-the-round, he's up for the challenge. Shaping up nicely out west.

* definitely did that Beckett triple a couple of years ago

He also directed the Harley Granville-Barker play Agnes Colander at Jermyn Street.

This completes his cycle of the four great Chekhov plays. The first was his small-space in-the-round lit-by-candlelight production (The Other Place) of Three Sisters in 1979 (Timothy Spall as Andrei - imagine that). Then his 2000 NT production of The Cherry Orchard in the Cottesloe with Ranevskaya and her brother Gayev played by Vanessa and Corin Redgrave, then The Seagull in 2007 cross-cast with McKellen's King Lear and lost on the massive Courtyard temporary stage in Stratford.


I didn't see the first of those but going by reports the rating of those three productions would be 4*, 3*, 2*.   

[rumbledoll]

Jan 15, 2024 19:00:21 GMT Jan said:

Interesting casting. In Russia I believe the play is usually presented as far more of a comedy than it is in the usual UK wistful production. It would be interesting to see it done in that way. Steve Carrell recently played the role in USA.

The funny thing is here in Russia the play is usually presented as high drama with all the humour being sucked out of it... Much like other Chekov. 
British versions always struck me as a good balance between laughs and seriousness that's why I enjoy them more.

Checkov intended his plays to be funny, it's not in the text per se, it's more subtle, it's written all over in betwen the lines. 

[Dave B]

We saw the second preview last night.

While I enjoyed the evening, it also felt a little flat. Part of me thinks that it will settle down into something quite nice but a bit of a question mark too. A fairly good cast with two standouts, Madeleine Gray's Sonya is excellent as is Andrew Richardson's (highlight of Guys & Dolls for me) Doctor. James Vance is good... but his Vanya perhaps feels like he should be in a different play. Nothing quite clicks into place with for him.

Despite the usual small OT space, a large set change at the interval which I'm pretty sure contributed to the 10+ minutes running late last night. Trevor Nunn in the audience and furiously taking notes. A very full OT with a good number of people standing upstairs - I can't recall the last time I saw that.

[parsley1]

This is dire

I fell asleep after 10 mins

I did awaken briefly to see a very nice torso bared onstage

But left at the interval

[theatrelover123]

Mar 5, 2024 22:26:28 GMT parsley1 said:

This is dire

I fell asleep after 10 mins

I did awaken briefly to see a very nice torso bared onstage

But left at the interval

Whose torso? Whose torso?

[Dave B]

Mar 5, 2024 23:00:09 GMT theatrelover123 said:

Mar 5, 2024 22:26:28 GMT parsley1 said:

This is dire

I fell asleep after 10 mins

I did awaken briefly to see a very nice torso bared onstage

But left at the interval

Whose torso? Whose torso?

That would be the Doctor (Andrew Richardson) who has to adjust more than his 'tie' when found drinking by Sonya.

[Jan]

Mar 5, 2024 8:52:58 GMT Dave B said:

A very full OT with a good number of people standing upstairs - I can't recall the last time I saw that.

They had standers for She Stoops to Conquer in December which was the first time I'd ever seen that at OT. 

[prefab]

I hadn't seen or read the play before, so I'm not sure this opinion has more to do with the Orange Tree production or the script itself, but I felt like this Uncle Vanya only worked in the scenes without Uncle Vanya. As Dave B said, both Andrew Richardson's Doctor and Madeleine Gray's Sonya were great, and I was really engaged in their story (and even the Doctor's speeches about deforestation). But I just thought Vanya was a charmless bore.

Still, if you're going to do a traditional take on a country house play like this, the Orange Tree is definitely the right venue for it, and my £15 standing tickets were a good bargain.

[lt]

Saw this on the opening night, disappointing I felt. I thought Andrew Richardson was excellent, but the rest of the cast were poor. I've seen six productions at the Orange Tree, and in terms of the acting this was easily the worst.

[adamkinsey]

Saw this last night and something's clearly gone very wrong here. Chekhov is my favourite dramatist but if this had been my first Vanya I'd never want to see his work again.

The acting seems "mixed" but I'm inclined to think this is down to Nunn. I wondered first of all if some were miscast as I've seen many of them before do great work but now I'm not sure. Is it simply down to how Nunn sees the characters and wants them portrayed rather than cast choices?

I dunno. But it's a mess.

[lonlad]

A raft of 4 star and even one 5 star review so far (Times, Telegraph, Standard, Guardian, WOS) and all the raves richly deserved.

I went tonight expecting not very much from a director well past his prime, sadly.

In fact, this ranks with the very best of Nunn's work any time anyplace and the cast is sensational, especially the men - Lance and the astonishing Richardson possibly the best balanced Vanya-Astrov double act I've seen since Michael Gambon and Jonathan Pryce in the late 1980s. The translation is fleet and smart and the play has fire in its belly. It may seem old fashioned to look at (samovars! wow!) but don't be fueled: this is in every way a play, and production, for the here and now. The Orange Tree has a serious hit that is all but guaranteed an onward life, as several reviews have said.

[Jan]

I’m very intrigued to see this now given the wildly different views of reliable posters here.

[bordeaux]

Fascinating to read these contrasting views, as with the Player Kings. I've got a Vanya-Falstaff day booked in a couple of weeks and am looking forward to making up my own mind!

[aspieandy]

Fwiw, I usually read Astrov as Asperger's, though before it had an ID and name and so Chehkov was writing a character type he had seen in society.

I'd booked this twice, not going for another 10 days. I get a strong sense of how carefully Littler and his directors choose what to include in this very particular space.

[Jan]

Mar 9, 2024 15:33:50 GMT aspieandy said:

Fwiw, I usually read Astrov as Asperger's, though before it had an ID and name and so Chehkov was writing a character type he had seen in society.

.

It is a tough part although these days the environmentalist sentiments are more resonant. The most ridiculous take on it I’ve seen was Antony Sher with his standard issue eye-rolling melodramatic turn as a Doctor apparently in the grip of substance abuse, totally swamping a rather low-key nuanced McKellen as Vanya.

[NeilVHughes]

This production is all about Sonya, her calm demeanour whilst accepting her situation whilst all around her rage means she steals nearly every scene.

[tmesis]

Absolutely loved this. The production engaged me from the off set and didn’t let go. Very strong cast and a superb Astrov in Andrew Richardson. Having seen him in Guys and Dolls I’ll now book anything he’s in. So fluidly directed by Sir Trev, with one of the best uses of the Orange Tree space I’ve seen.

This really does deserve a wider life elsewhere.

The OTT is on a real roll at the moment.

[john64]

I really enjoyed this too. Saw the matinee at the weekend and was struck by the simplicity of the staging, the nuanced approach in bringing out the play's themes,and the quality of acting. The stand-out is Madeleine Grey as Sonya. This production very much puts the focus on her, the tragedy being hers primarily. Her final speech that closes the play is delivered superbly.
My first visit to the Orange Tree...was booked to see The Human Body at the Donmar but the matinee was cancelled due to cast illness and was lucky enough to pick up a single front row ticket for this. Looking at the reviews for The Human Body feel that fortune smiled on me! Loved the venue and loved the space. I would recommend, and feel that it's bound to transfer to the West End.

[john64]

Mar 12, 2024 11:43:59 GMT john64 said:

I really enjoyed this too. Saw the matinee at the weekend and was struck by the simplicity of the staging, the nuanced approach in bringing out the play's themes,and the quality of acting. The stand-out is Madeleine Gray as Sonya. This production very much puts the focus on her, the tragedy being hers primarily. Her final speech that closes the play is delivered superbly.
My first visit to the Orange Tree...was booked to see The Human Body at the Donmar but the matinee was cancelled due to cast illness and was lucky enough to pick up a single front row ticket for this. Looking at the reviews for The Human Body feel that fortune smiled on me! Loved the venue and loved the space. I would recommend, and feel that it's bound to transfer to the West End.

[Steve]

Saw today's matinee and agree with the posters above who say that Madeleine Gray and Andrew Richardson are superb.

Some spoilers follow. . .

Gray's Sonya blends her inner excitable youthful girlish desires with her burdensome adult responsibilities brilliantly and believably. It is when the youthful side of her just wants to explode out of her bleak surroundings that the show is at its funniest, as the contrast is so great.

I particularly loved when Gray's Sonya interacted with Lily Sacofsky's Elena. Sacofsky uniquely and interestingly plays Elena as a despondent statue (unless she is alone with Vanya, when she livens up), lethargically making eye contact merely to maintain social graces. To see the dynamic Sonya thwarted by a living statue is peak comedy and peak tragedy combined, the very best Chekhov.

Andrew Richardson is a marvel. He was the most dynamic and hilarious Sky Masterson, and he is a practical and passionate Astrov. Also his choices are in the moment and alive.

The Orange Tree is a great intimate space for a show like this, where the inner feelings of the characters are everything.

Unfortunately, I felt that James Lance, as Vanya, might not be quite at home in this intimate space, not wanting to fully erupt either because he doesn't want to overact or in consideration of such a proximate audience's eardrums. For me, he comes across as a little too muted in his emotional expressions, unlike Richardson, Gray or, in smaller roles, Juliet Garricks or Susan Tracy, who felt more unrestrained. My reaction could simply be a matter of taste, of course, as I preferred the immediate emotionalism of Toby Jones, Andrew Scott or Iain Glenn as Vanya, for example.

Anyway, there's much to love here, and this was 3 and a half stars for me.

[matty]

Saw this tonight and firstly, someone did Susan Tracy dirty with that wig...could they really not do something to try and cover it up, it looked like it was peeling off at one point and I could see her hair underneath at the back!

That aside, I enjoyed this tonight. Andrew Richardson really is fantastic in this role and whenever he wasn't on stage, I was waiting for him to come back. The same with Madeleine Gray. Her Sonya was great.

James Lance seemed to get better in the second act. Agree with comments above that he seemed to be in a different play in the first act.

Loved the intimate staging, although the big set change at the interval seems like it could have been done in a more efficient way, I mean taking doors on and off around the audience felt a bit much.

Overall a good watch.