Minor Character (Under the Radar)

See it if If you like uncle vanya. Good acting a different scenario on chekhov.

Don't see it if If you do not like the classics tampered diwn.

See it if ur familiar w/Uncle Vanya & want to see an abridged version by an innovative acting co. having fun with a mixture of English translations.

Don't see it if u aren't familiar w/the play (otherwise you will be very confused); u expect more variety of translations; u want a traditional Chekhov.

Also The gimmicks are hit-or-miss, and the contrivance eventually becomes wearisome, but there's a lot of potential here & I would be willing to see it in a future incarnation after a bit more work.... Read more Read less

See it if Wildly ambitious yet uniquely poignant medley? mashup? melee? of Uncle Vanya culled from various translations Chekhov meets Jackson Pollack!

Don't see it if Knowledge of source drama a MUST Except for one actor (David Greenspan!) others play all other parts at various times = intelligent chaos

See it if you love "Uncle Vanya" but don't take it so seriously that you can't enjoy a creative fracturing of the text.

Don't see it if the text of "Uncle Vanya" is too precious for you to bear seeing it dismantled & reconstructed.

Also Off-center theater troupes have been deconstructing classic texts for at least 50 years. When I see one, I apply 2 tests: 1) Is the theater event itself enjoyable? 2) Does it reveal something about the classic text? On both counts, New Saloon’s “Minor Character,” a post-post-modern mashup of 4 English translations of Chekhov’s “Uncle Vanya,” scores high. The multiple texts are deployed in several inventive ways. We open with a series of monologs in which some of the major characters (don’t let the title fool you) repeat themselves. In following scenes, several versions of the same character deliver different translations at the same time. Often these multiples interact in telling ways. Downtown superstar David Greenspan is the only professor & is a revelation. Energy & insight only flag near the end, in a slapstick interlude at a long table that neither entertains nor illuminates. But the uncharacteristically quiet close, a sole actor playing both Vanya & Sonia, is quite touching.... Read more Read less

See it if You are open to a fractured, sprightful take on Vanya. It fills the stage with multiple versions of the characters. Not profound but fun.

Don't see it if You don't like your classics tampered with.

See it if you love Chekhov, you like meta-theatricality or intellectually-fueled performances, or you'd like to see Chekhov but haven't

Don't see it if you want a traditional play, or something that isn't at times sort of hipster millenial in its approach

See it if you enjoy a solid ensemble with actors moving in and out of multiple characters. Lots of fun moments.

Don't see it if the concept didn't feel fully fleshed out...though it was a lot of fun to watch.

See it if You enjoy seeing new ways to present Chekhov - very imaginative

Don't see it if If you are a Chekhov purist - you might not like it