Uncle Vanya - Orange Tree

Interesting casting. In Russia I believe the play is usually presented as far more of a comedy than it is in the usual UK wistful production. It would be interesting to see it done in that way. Steve Carrell recently played the role in USA.

Trevor Nunn's second directorial endowment and we're only five minutes into the Littler era - he was semi-regular at Jermyn Street as well, iirc*. Whether very limited space or in-the-round, he's up for the challenge. Shaping up nicely out west.

* definitely did that Beckett triple a couple of years ago

The funny thing is here in Russia the play is usually presented as high drama with all the humour being sucked out of it... Much like other Chekov. 
British versions always struck me as a good balance between laughs and seriousness that's why I enjoy them more.

Checkov intended his plays to be funny, it's not in the text per se, it's more subtle, it's written all over in betwen the lines. 

This is dire

I fell asleep after 10 mins

I did awaken briefly to see a very nice torso bared onstage

But left at the interval

That would be the Doctor (Andrew Richardson) who has to adjust more than his 'tie' when found drinking by Sonya.

I hadn't seen or read the play before, so I'm not sure this opinion has more to do with the Orange Tree production or the script itself, but I felt like this Uncle Vanya only worked in the scenes without Uncle Vanya. As Dave B said, both Andrew Richardson's Doctor and Madeleine Gray's Sonya were great, and I was really engaged in their story (and even the Doctor's speeches about deforestation). But I just thought Vanya was a charmless bore.

Still, if you're going to do a traditional take on a country house play like this, the Orange Tree is definitely the right venue for it, and my £15 standing tickets were a good bargain.

Saw this last night and something's clearly gone very wrong here. Chekhov is my favourite dramatist but if this had been my first Vanya I'd never want to see his work again.

The acting seems "mixed" but I'm inclined to think this is down to Nunn. I wondered first of all if some were miscast as I've seen many of them before do great work but now I'm not sure. Is it simply down to how Nunn sees the characters and wants them portrayed rather than cast choices?

I dunno. But it's a mess.

I’m very intrigued to see this now given the wildly different views of reliable posters here.

Fwiw, I usually read Astrov as Asperger's, though before it had an ID and name and so Chehkov was writing a character type he had seen in society.

I'd booked this twice, not going for another 10 days. I get a strong sense of how carefully Littler and his directors choose what to include in this very particular space.

This production is all about Sonya, her calm demeanour whilst accepting her situation whilst all around her rage means she steals nearly every scene.

I really enjoyed this too. Saw the matinee at the weekend and was struck by the simplicity of the staging, the nuanced approach in bringing out the play's themes,and the quality of acting. The stand-out is Madeleine Grey as Sonya. This production very much puts the focus on her, the tragedy being hers primarily. Her final speech that closes the play is delivered superbly.
My first visit to the Orange Tree...was booked to see The Human Body at the Donmar but the matinee was cancelled due to cast illness and was lucky enough to pick up a single front row ticket for this. Looking at the reviews for The Human Body feel that fortune smiled on me! Loved the venue and loved the space. I would recommend, and feel that it's bound to transfer to the West End.

Saw today's matinee and agree with the posters above who say that Madeleine Gray and Andrew Richardson are superb.

Some spoilers follow. . .

Gray's Sonya blends her inner excitable youthful girlish desires with her burdensome adult responsibilities brilliantly and believably. It is when the youthful side of her just wants to explode out of her bleak surroundings that the show is at its funniest, as the contrast is so great.

I particularly loved when Gray's Sonya interacted with Lily Sacofsky's Elena. Sacofsky uniquely and interestingly plays Elena as a despondent statue (unless she is alone with Vanya, when she livens up), lethargically making eye contact merely to maintain social graces. To see the dynamic Sonya thwarted by a living statue is peak comedy and peak tragedy combined, the very best Chekhov.

Andrew Richardson is a marvel. He was the most dynamic and hilarious Sky Masterson, and he is a practical and passionate Astrov. Also his choices are in the moment and alive.

The Orange Tree is a great intimate space for a show like this, where the inner feelings of the characters are everything.

Unfortunately, I felt that James Lance, as Vanya, might not be quite at home in this intimate space, not wanting to fully erupt either because he doesn't want to overact or in consideration of such a proximate audience's eardrums. For me, he comes across as a little too muted in his emotional expressions, unlike Richardson, Gray or, in smaller roles, Juliet Garricks or Susan Tracy, who felt more unrestrained. My reaction could simply be a matter of taste, of course, as I preferred the immediate emotionalism of Toby Jones, Andrew Scott or Iain Glenn as Vanya, for example.

Anyway, there's much to love here, and this was 3 and a half stars for me.