Uncle Vanya, Shakespeare Theatre Company
It seems unfathomable that it took until 2025 for the Shakespeare Theatre Company to produce any work by Anton Chekhov, enough so that it conjures images of former Artistic Director Michael Kahn hanging signs around every backstage featuring Chekhov's portrait with a big red X slashed across his face. And yet, here we are, with current Artistic Director Simon Godwin's new production of Uncle Vanya on the Harman stage in an adaption by Conor McPherson that begs the question of why the long wait. Godwin's production begins in a casual, rehearsal hall style for Act I, gradually transitioning further and further into period costume and a more realistic set through the evening. It's an effective way of quickly sketching out the world of the play by establishing characters and their relationships with each other first, and only later grounding them in the world of late nineteenth century Russia. Robert Brill's set balances both ends of the production, from the small fra...
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