Uncle Vanya
Reviewed by Steven Leigh Morris
Pasadena Playhouse
Through June 26
RECOMMENDED
Having been largely weaned on the plays of Anton Chekhov, and his turn of the 20th century mingling of regret and humor while something, always something, is ending (Chekhov wrote as the Russian Revolution was brewing), I admit to a trepidation in seeing productions of plays by the Russian literary giant, because they so rarely rise to their complex occasion. They’re usually suffocated by affectation of some kind – such as an obsequious devotion to kitchen sink realism, and samovars and wicker furniture, or, in American or British hands, an effort to invent what it means to be Russian in 1899; that rarely turns out well.
I’d like to personally thank director Michael Michetti for sweepingly avoiding every pitfall that generally curses American/Brit productions of Chekhov. Michetti’s staging of Uncle Vanya at the Pasadena Playhouse is the best production of Vanya since Louis Malle’s 1994 movie of the play (Vanya on 42nd Street) — really a filming of the play being rehearsed, based on a production directed by Andre Gregory and starring Wallace Shawn. In many ways, Michetti’s rendition surpasses it.
For the complete review, see Stage Feature.
Pasadena Playhouse, El Molino Ave., Pasadena; Wed.-Fri., 8 pm; Sat., 2 & 8 pm; Sun., 2 & 7 pm; thru June 26. https://pasadenaplayhouse.org Running time: Two hours and 45 minutes with one intermission.
