UncleVanya, Conor McPherson's new adaptation of Chekhov, starring Toby Jones and Richard Armitage, adds soliloquies, but loses drama
Problems surface, however, with the text. Every writer/translator interpreting Chekhov adds, to a greater or lesser degree, their own voice. Working from a literal translation by Helen Rappaport, Conor McPherson has provided what he describes as an adaptation, but it’s more than usually “adapted.”On the plus side, McPherson loses almost all of the archaisms of the language of this 1898 play and gently makes it sound more contemporary.
At the risk of being labelled a purist, it is also bizarrely un-Chekhovian. The greatness of Chekhov lies chiefly in his controlled understatement. His characters almost never say what they mean, allowing us instead to sense and feel their thoughts and desires. He deals in show, rather than tell. By having characters explain themselves and their motives, scenes are leeched of texture and tension, and audiences are robbed of the pleasure of gleaning what lies beneath.
She’s matched by Jones’ restless, witheringly sarcastic Vanya, ricocheting between indolence and frustration at his arrogant and unusually bullish brother-in-law . Jones’s emotional precision means he’s alive to — and enlivens — every beat of the text, but not everyone is on his level.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
'Uncle Vanya': Theater ReviewTheater Review: Toby Jones, Richard Armitage, Rosalind Eleazar and Ciaran Hinds in Conor McPherson's brilliant, buoyantly accessible new adaptation of Chekhov's 'Uncle Vanya'
Read more »
'Uncle Vanya': Theater ReviewTheater Review: Toby Jones, Richard Armitage, Rosalind Eleazar and Ciaran Hinds in Conor McPherson's brilliant, buoyantly accessible new adaptation of Chekhov's 'Uncle Vanya'
Read more »
'Grand Horizons': Theater ReviewJane Alexander, James Cromwell, Ben McKenzie and Michael Urie appear in the new comedy by 'Small Mouth Sounds' playwright Bess Wohl, about a couple getting divorced after fifty years of marriage.
Read more »
‘The Welkin’: Theater ReviewA life hanging perilously in the balance of charged-up, polarized opinions: This courtroom drama could easily have been titled “Twelve Angry Women.” But playwright Lucy Kirkwood (“Chimerica,” “The …
Read more »
Jordan Roth to Draw Back the Curtain on Art, Costume During Talk With Alina ChoOverseeing five Broadway theaters as Jujamcyn Theaters’ president, Roth has a comprehensive view of costumes and fashion.
Read more »
Go-Go's to Return to Touring in Support of Upcoming Showtime DocThe Go-Go's will tour this summer in support of an upcoming Showtime documentary
Read more »