Uncle Vanya - Orange Tree

[Jan]

I thought this was good but not great. The main issue for me was the version of the text used, quite awkward and uneven and for some reason stuffed full of modern Americanisms. I was so goddam not into that. Trev should have just used an existing good version and directed that, the adapter he did use (Trevor Nunn) let him down a bit.

[Being Alive]

I was meant to go tonight but I just couldn't be bothered in the end. Richmond feels far away, and it doesn't sound excellent so I...didn't bother 😂

[Jan]

Mar 18, 2024 22:36:25 GMT Being Alive said:

I was meant to go tonight but I just couldn't be bothered in the end. Richmond feels far away, and it doesn't sound excellent so I...didn't bother 😂

Even though they were sold out there were a few empty seats including a block of four right on the front row - some of the people in the standing places (which were full) must have been annoyed at that. A few filled after the interval with people who had had a restricted view due to the staging even though a particularly low chaise longue was deployed.

It is not excellent but there is plenty to enjoy - there are some productions of it when you have a very good lead as Vanya (Toby Jones for example) when Astrov becomes very much becomes a supporting role (I can't even remember him in that production) but here, uniquely, the situation is almost entirely the reverse.  

Nice to see Susan Tracy who was also in Trevor Nunn's first Chekhov production - Three Sisters in 1981. 

[bee]

I saw yesterday's matinee of this. I really loved it, it might be the best Chekov production I've ever seen. I'd agree with the previous reviewers who picked out Madeleine Gray, she was spectacular - the final speech in particular was heartbreaking - but really the whole cast was fantastic. A great production.

[cavocado]

I thought this was beautifully directed and agree with all the praise of Madeleine Gray's subtle and mesmerising performance. I hope we'll see a lot more of her. It took me a while to take to James Lance's Vanya, possibly because I re-watched Toby Jones' subtler, less flamboyantly sarcastic, version on iplayer quite recently, so it was hard to put that out of my mind and I felt at first like Lance was almost overacting. But in the end I liked this portrayal and particularly the dynamic between him and Sonya and their different ways of attempting to hide their despair and disappointment.

I also liked the adaptation - the updated language made the characters very relatable (to me anyway), just more modern turns of phrase and still very much in period. I saw one or two national reviews mentioned the samovar, as though following the stage directions is riskily old-fashioned. To me this low-key update in a traditional production was far more meaningful to a modern audience than Anya Reiss's updated Seagull script for Jamie Lloyd, with its clumsy and pointless mentions of things like cars and mobile phones. Four stars from me.

[theoracle]

I also really enjoyed this - I was a little daunted by the long runtime but ended up really pleasantly surprised by how well paced the first half was. Madeleine Gray is a revelation I agree - and Andrew Richardson too is fab here. It's very well staged from where I was but not sure how well it played in the round from the other side... I wouldn't say there's anything groundbreaking here but that's possibly why I enjoyed it so much - it's not trying to be edgy or different, it's just a story told very well with lovely performances. Really recommend it

[aspieandy]

Terrific, for sure. West End standard as is. Direction really pushes this production a few inches further at the audience which, if you're in the front row, is pretty glorious.

Prefer my Vanya spread thick with melancholia, pathos and all the trimmings, and this may have drifted slightly towards something lighter. Whether that happened in Nunn's adaptation or once it got in the rehearsal space ... anyway, glad to see my Aspie boy Astrov survived intact.

Sir Trev, in his programme notes, tells us Chekhov is his favourite writer after Willy and that this is his first time with Vanya (previous attempts thwarted), so he'll be chuffed with how it's turning out in the round.

I swear the chaise lounge at OT deserves its own social media account (appears after the interval this time). 

Has Tom Littler had a west end transfer yet? Suit that new Soho whatsit outside TCR station.

[cavocado]

Agree it would be perfect for Soho Place. I hope it gets a further life beyond this (sold out) run.

[Jan]

Mar 28, 2024 19:47:53 GMT aspieandy said:

Has Tom Littler had a west end transfer yet? Suit that new Soho whatsit outside TCR station.

Not from OT. His production of Sondheim's "Saturday Night" transferred from Jermyn Street to the West End in 2009. 

[bordeaux]

This is excellent, even with a stand-in for Vanya reading the script, James Lance being ill. They drafted in the impressive Pete Ashmore who was the son in The Circle there last year and on tour. I loved pretty much everything about it - Nunn's adaptation, the direction, every member of the cast and the feeling that here was a great play which the director wanted to bring to us without any buggering about with it. It certainly bears comparison with the great Vanyas I've seen (Blakemore/Gambon, Mitchell/Dillane and Mendes/SRB), though with a cast who were mostly unknown to me. I look forward to seeing what Andrew Richardson and Madeleine Grey do in future. And I'd love Nunn to keep going with this sort of thing - rather than new plays directed by his mates.

[barelyathletic]

I also thought this was excellent and hugely enjoyable. Nunn's direction may seem old fashioned to some but what a relief it is to see a production where the director simply trusts a great play and some brilliant actors, with not a camera, paintball or misplaced pop song in sight or sound.Theatrical storytelling at its simplest and best.

All the actors seem to relish being in this but Madeleine Gray's Sonya and Andrew Richardson's Astrov were just brilliant. She is completely new to me but lived the role entirely, one of the best interpretations of the role I've seen. And, after Guys and Dolls, he is proving himself to be one of the most versatile and charismatic actors around, reminding me of a young Hugh Jackman when I first saw him in Oklahoma years ago. It was a privilege to see them both in a tiny space at what must be the start of truly stellar careers.

This really needs to be seen by more people and should transfer. @sohoplace would be perfect.

[mjh]

Saw this this afternoon and thought it was a good if not safe production.

Turns out James Lance has been out for at least this past week and we had an emergency cover playing Vanya. While he was impressively off book and did well given the circumstances, he was only ‘ok’.

[princeton]

I believe that Pete Ashmore (who was in the Orange Tree production of The Circle) covered as Vanya earlier in the week. James Lance was back when I saw it on Thursday but maybe he's still under the weather so not doing both shows on a matinee day.