See it if You have seen other productions of Vanya but felt emotionally disconnected from the material.
Don't see it if You dislike theatre in the round. You dislike the source material to the point where you feel you wouldn't enjoy any production of it. Read more
See it if you want to risk missing a once in a life time exp. I won't be here 50 yrs from now but if you are, you will be saying "did you see ... ?"
Don't see it if you are generally cranky about Chekhov or Richard Nelson. Read more
See it if You love Chekov. You love naturalistic acting of the first order. You love theatre.
Don't see it if You can't sit still, listen, and be taken to another world. Read more
See it if you want to see the aways dependable Jay O. Sanders give the performance of his career in Richard Nelson's exquisite production.
Don't see it if you don't like intimate theatre or people speaking in normal tones. Read more
See it if you want a very effective and brilliant interpretation of a Chekhov play. Outstanding acting, intimate setting, Emotionally satisfying
Don't see it if find plays a bore. If you really like theater I really can’t think of anything else that would make you not like this magnificent show
See it if You want to experience this masterwork in the most intimate surroundings imaginable.
Don't see it if You cannot LISTEN or have little patience for exploration of the monumental trivialities of daily life. Read more
See it if You know Chekhov or you still need to learn him. Fabulous writing teamed with perfect delivery - what a treat!
Don't see it if you are to sick - physically or spiritually - to get there.
See it if You relish a production of the play that makes sense and is enlightening. You appreciate excellent acting.
Don't see it if You don't like Chekhov and you can't sit still for nearly two hours. You prefer a broader style of performance. Read more
"It’s clearer, truer, and more comprehensible than it’s ever been before...I’m still shivery, teary-eyed, and stunned from seeing Richard Nelson’s devastatingly intimate production...This is as naked and fully human an 'Uncle Vanya' as we’re likely to see. Nelson’s impeccably balanced ensemble doesn’t seem to be so much interpreting the script as living it...The performances are so self-effacing, you won’t at first realize how thorough and completely felt they are."
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"We’ve never seen a Vanya like this—huge, ox-necked, shuddering like a dray horse from from burdens he’s pulled too long. Sanders's acting contains a level of detail that simply shouldn’t be visible without a camera to magnify it...The only people onstage who come close to this titanic performance are Woods, a vivid and feeling actor, and DeVries, who can also render the pore-level naturalism that Nelson demands. But a central chunk of the play belongs to Astrov and Elena, who are less secure."
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"It’s a pity that Nelson, Pevear, and Volokhonsky’s new version of ‘Uncle Vanya’...often seems to stick in the mouths of its actors. The cast is, for the most part, superb, and in the moments they’re not shown to best advantage, their inherent abilities are still well visible below the text...It’s a credit to them, to Nelson as a director, and to the irrepressible brilliance of Chekhov that the production still manages, labored language and all, to find moments of real humor and pathos."
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"The results are successful in every way...I can wholeheartedly recommend this production to Chekhov novices and connoisseurs...Such terrible tales are best told in an understated way, and Nelson’s actors hardly ever raise their voices, whether figuratively or literally. Instead, they let you listen in as they watch the sun set on their bleak little world...One of our most accomplished character actors, Sanders gets to be the star of this show, scoring a decisive triumph in the title role."
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“A heart-piercing production as sublime as I’ve ever seen Chekhov performed...The actors...speak in intentionally normal tones of voice, and if you have trouble catching every word, Nelson has said he doesn’t much care...By distilling the text to a seemingly fresh variety of conversational truthfulness...Vanya’s silent suffering feel brutally real. And when in this instance Vanya’s patience finally runs out, Sanders’s explosion is nothing less than cataclysmic.”
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"Utilizes the distinctly small style that Nelson, as playwright and director, has honed over the past several years. The actors speak in a near whisper and express the unique suffering of these characters in true Chekhovian style, with an elegant balance of vocal and physical anguish...Nelson, Pevar, and Volokhonsky have created a lithe, colloquial cutting of 'Uncle Vanya'...It's the perfect introduction to the text for new audiences, while still capturing the spirit of the original."
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"The most interesting feature of the translation is how the language rarely commits itself to a period...New York stage gem Jay O. Sanders is extremely compelling in the title role...But it's Yvonne Woods' captivating performance as Sonya, Serebryakov's daughter through his first marriage, that gives this production its true beauty...As long as Nelson's productions keep supplying such superb ensembles giving such fully-realized performances, familiarity breeds admiration."
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“The translation, which feels fresh without being distractingly contemporary, fits neatly with Nelson's staging...The design consists of little more than a table and some chairs, with...mics hanging overhead, providing just enough...to make every word intelligible, despite the low-key, almost cinematic, acting style...Nelson has assembled a number of fine companions for Sanders' Vanya...Sanders carries the day; his Vanya is the preeminent member of this house of fools and broken hearts."
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