Uncle Vanya at the Old Red Lion Theatre – Review

Last Updated on May 7, 2022

Jonathan George as Uncle Vanya excels in Candid Broad’s Chekhov:

A remote late-Victorian country house is what many people, conditioned by two years of a pandemic, might consider to be the perfect lockdown arrangement. Though you’ll probably have to take part in the occasional domestic row, at least the hydrangeas smell nice. Candid Broad’s Uncle Vanya turns this supposed ideal, and Chekhov’s original play, entirely on its head, giving the 19^th century classic new life and nuance. While it is far from an impeccable production, stellar performances from both Jonathan George (Uncle Vanya) and Faye Bennet (Sonya) are well worth watching in this impressive translation.

Uncle Vanya was first performed in 1899 under the direction of one of the most famous theatre practitioners of all time, Konstantin Stanislavski. Based partially on his previous play, The Wood Demon, Uncle Vanya is said to be inspired by Chekhov’s visit to Sakhalin, a prison colony in Eastern Russia. Exploring confinement and regret, it is the perfect play to deliver to an audience recently caged by covid. Vanya’s story, that of a thirty-something man who realises that he has devoted his life to the work of the unworthy professor Aleksandr Serebryakov (David Whitting), is something many of us can relate to in a world full of cult followings. The strange and fraught family relationships between Sonya (Vanya’s niece and the professor’s first wife) and Yelena (his new wife, played by Clémentine Pinet) revealed the perils of close confinement.

The action took place above the endearing Old Red Lion Theatre Pub. Upstairs, there’s an unassuming fully equipped black box theatre complete with a few rows of comfy benches. The set, designed by Georgia Lee Joseph, was a tad too claustrophobic for the actors to properly inhabit their characters, but combined with well-placed 19^th century accoutrements, it was quite charming. Although the costumes, designed by Heitung Kwok, were beautifully quaint, some felt disjointed, and Yelena’s in particular felt too plain for someone with ‘mermaid’s blood’ in their veins.

Through all the hits and misses, however, Jonathan George’s performance as Uncle Vanya is the beacon in this production. Every syllable he uttered was filled with the most biting angst, that worked well with Chekhov’s comedy and his tragedy. His performance could have been a study in how to live one’s life in the most exacting way possible. George eased through both the Chekhovian influences and the modern nods, which made for a truly exceptional performance.

Though it is ironic that the difficult man is the hero of this feminist production, Faye Bennet’s Sonya was not far behind. Bennet’s eyes were mesmerizingly emotive, and every small action hinted at her character’s suffering. However, she was so charismatically demure, that it was difficult to believe that men would consider her plain, although I shan’t blame Bennet for that. Her performance was outstanding and, at moments, more than a little heartbreaking.

It was difficult to reconcile the really good scenes with the not so great ones in this production. Overall, the script was witty and the drunken scenes, in particular, were very tightly done, with credit due to the director Kieran Bourne. The moment Doctor Astrov (Adé Dee Haastrup) leapt on top of a chair, after far too many shots of vodka, was one of the most captivating moments, and definitely where Haastrup shone. It was a shame, therefore, that scenes felt underutilised, and that melodrama lurked in the performances of some of the cast members.