- By Caroline Lenher
“It’s clearer, truer, and more comprehensible than it’s ever been before.” –NEW YORK TIMES
This new and “exquisite translation” (WYNC News) of Chekhov’s theatrical masterpiece, Uncle Vanya, is now on stage at the Pasadena Playhouse. This exhilarating revival breaths new life into the story of Vanya and his niece. For years, they have cared for the family’s estate which is now falling apart around them. Things get more complicated when unexpected visitors arrive one summer, and it is more than the Russian heat that brings things to a boil. As Vanya’s brother-in-law and alluring wife come for a visit, hidden passions and tumultuous frustrations come to a head as pasts are faced and life choices questioned that could threaten everything.
This new version tells the classic drama in a conversational, comic and true to life style that for director Michael Michetti, gives the play “a special poignancy and immediacy in this moment” as we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic. Charles McNulty (LA Times) said that this Vanya “has a conversational smoothness that removes the cobwebs sticking to those other translations.”
A must see for any theatre-lover, Uncle Vanya plays through June 26th at the Pasadena Playhouse. All patrons must show proof of vaccination and always wear a mask in the theatre.
For more information or COVID-19 protocol, click here.
