Uncle Vanya

Maria Oxley Boardman and Risteárd Cooper in Uncle Vanya. Image, Olga Kuzmenko

****

Brian Friel had deep admiration for Anton Chekhov. His 1998 adaptation of Uncle Vanya, intriguingly directed by Cathal Cleary at Smock Alley Theatre, making it easy to understand why. Remove the Russian names and there’s something peculiarly Irish about Chekhov’s 1897 masterpiece, predictive of Eugene O’Neill and Tom Murphy. Wherein one family’s ties, lies and misdemeanours make up the meaning of their lives. Their end all and be alls, which prove to be not that much after at all. Residing in their country estate, they treat life like a game played far too seriously, or not seriously enough. Nick Dunning’s Alexander, an older professor of dubious merit, intends on persuading them to sell the property. Maria Oxley Boardman’s Elena, Alexander’s bored, cosmopolitan, much younger trophy wife, evokes passionate love triangles whichever way she turns. Like Adam Fergus’s hopelessly romantic, drunken doctor Mikhail, and Risteárd Cooper’s hopelessly pathetic, drunken estate manager Vanya, both her persistent suitors. Leaving Elena seeking companionship in step-daughter Sonya; Eavan Gaffney’s plain Jane an innocent in love with dishevelled environmentalist Mikhail. A lovelorn child whose naivety and virtuous work ethic risks her becoming a sickeningly one dimensional, second rate Disney character. Throw in Morgan C. Jone’s as sponging guitarist Ilya, Catherine Byrne as formidable anarchist mother Maria, and Eleanor Methven’s tireless Nanny and relatives and neighbours are gathered for a lively, family soap opera. Where time is passed in passionate boredom. Or bored passion. Let’s call it life. Where everything happens, but nothing of consequence, and nothing changes. Chekhov enjoying as a bad joke the existential notion that we fashion our own meanings and live satisfactorily ever after.

Maria Oxley Boardman, Risteárd Cooper and Nick Dunning in Uncle Vanya. Image, Olga Kuzmenko

In Uncle Vanya, Chekhov proves master of the universe in a grain of sand and of the universe as a grain of sand. Where the world’s a stage with life a poor performance. Maree Kearns pared back set, featuring Stephen Dodd’s conspicuous light rig, foregoing all attempts at Stanislavski’s naturalist staging, the famed acting teacher Chekhov’s staunch supporter. The effect drawing greater attention to performers, which offer exquisite examples of Stanislavski’s heightened naturalist acting. Had the hybrid stopped there all would be well. But a tip into expressionism by way of HK Ní Shioradáin’s ghoul like pianist, and a slow-mo styled bullet scene as Vanya tries kill Alexander, weakens the framing. Even as the unmoving pianist reinforces the performance area as a theatrical space and not as a representational, true to life stage set.

HK Ní Shioradáin (rear) and Maria Oxley Boardman in Uncle Vanya. Image, Olga Kuzmenko

If Cleary presents Chekhov’s interweaving narratives in their abundance of contradictory glories, allowing high brow reflections settle next to low brow comedy, the experience is all the more enjoyable for it. Yet efforts to askew a feminist reappraisal delivers a stunning, one sided victory at the cost of a battle lost. The loss being that of Vanya, a perpetually petulant man-child hysterically delivering maudlin monologues caked in self-pity. But Cooper goes down swinging, and when allowed be more than a loudmouth mope, sears you with emotional honesty reminding you what’s been discarded. A dignified Vanya’s crushed hopes, frustrated aspirations, and the crushing responsibilities of being second to the favoured son, too often reduced to an undignified whine. His pursuit of Elena a way of taking back from his brother what was taken from him lost amidst drunken diatribes as men are accentuated as collectively pathetic. Impetuous, immature, delusional; the gender imbalance is never challenged so much as reversed. Alexander a pompous, delusional oaf, Mikhail all boyish good looks and reckless enthusiasm. Allowing Chekhov’s women to come into their own as thwarted agents, much to Elena’s benefit. Even if the binary imbalance exacts a cost on the play.

Eavan Gaffney and Adam Fergus in Uncle Vanya. Image, Olga Kuzmenko

When Gaffney infuses Sonya with youthful innocence in the first flush of love, Gaffney is  adorably spellbinding. In contrast to her resolve at the end which resembles a Catholic nun reciting her catechism rather than a young woman trying to press on. In contrast, Elena proves much more fascinating, which an understated Oxley Boardman delivers with understated aplomb. Elena might still refuse to help the poor, but Oxley Boardman plays down the trophy wife and presents a woman of rich complexity. Talented, intelligent, worldly wise and bursting with thwarted agency, Elena reaches out to her love struck step-daughter seeking to connect, whilst at the same time ready to steal from her the man she loves for having grown bored with her own husband. Elena’s complexity given vivid life by Oxley Boardman in a captivating performance. Retaining tired boredom with a longing to feel something more, but never at the expense of her easy life. Sonya might forsake all her worldly goods for a man, Elena knows better. Even so, as Chekhov’s characteristic leave taking scene arrives, a superbly directed pinky moment between Elena and Mikhail, missed by those seated on the sides, is devastating in its suggestion of alternate possibilities. Almost as devastating as the final hug between Elena and Sonya. One of many moments of overpowering beauty, crafted to perfection by Cleary.

Risteárd Cooper in Uncle Vanya. Image, Olga Kuzmenko

In Uncle Vanya, everything is equally and utterly important, and equally and utterly unimportant. Populated by people who, in their minds, if not their lives, are towering giants of thwarted dignity. Guided by their misguided beliefs rather than life’s experience setting up inner and outer conflicts. In foregrounding the feminine, Cleary unleashes hidden tensions often ignored in staging Chekhov’s masterpiece. If only Cleary had resisted loading the dice in representing a troped masculinity, a sense of feminine agency and resistance would have been better served. Still, if Uncle Vanya loses some battles, ultimately it wins the war. A bright, often brilliant production, Uncle Vanya is a crowning success. An emotional rollercoaster of messed up humanity given visceral life by an enviable ensemble delivering exquisite, top drawer performances.

Uncle Vanya by Anton Chekhov, adapted by Brian Friel, presented by Smock Alley Theatre and Cathal Cleary Theatre Company in association with Once Off Productions, runs at Smock Alley Theatre until December 20.

For more information visit Smock Alley Theatre