Credited cast: | |||
Roger Allam | ... | Serebrayakov | |
Richard Armitage | ... | Astrov | |
Anna Calder-Marshall | ... | Nana | |
Rosalind Eleazar | ... | Yelena | |
Toby Jones | ... | Vanya | |
Dearbhla Molloy | ... | Mariya | |
Peter Wight | ... | Telegin | |
Aimee Lou Wood | ... | Sonya |
Uncle Vanya is a thoughtful and contemplative story of Russian friends and relatives living on an estate with thousands of trees. Written by one of Russia's greatest playwrights, it deals with grand themes of purposeful life, beauty, money, and even though the play was written over 100 years ago, ecology. This play has terrific characters and is full of wit and charm.
I am not familiar with Chekhov's work so this review is written from an unbiased perspective. Uncle Vanya had a strangely autobiographical feel to it, and the three main characters, were all strong male leads, with Uncle Vanya as the one male in the group with the strongest grievances. I think it is a play that might have benefitted from a stronger conclusion, it all felt flat at the end. When it comes to classics, no one does it quite like the BBC. You end up liking their version more than the original work. Having said that, it was beautifully acted and directed, with Toby edging it slightly in the acting stakes.