Playwright: Anton Chekhov; . Translation: Curt Columbus . At: Strawdog Theatre, 3829 N. Broadway . Phone: 773-528-9696; $10-$40. Runs through: March 27
Anton Chekhov's self-labeled "comedies" like Uncle Vanya and The Cherry Orchard are so thoroughly studied and artistically esteemed in drama schools that it can be nearly impossible for any production to fully live up to the heightened expectations.
So if you can give up your ideal of Chekhovian perfection, director Kimberly Senior's take on Curt Columbus' adaptation of Uncle Vanya for Strawdog Theatre has plenty to recommend for it.
Senior starts things off nicely by teaming with set designer Tom Burch with a cozy concept of framing scenes amid lace and object-filled cabinets that are reminiscent of artist Joseph Cornell's glass box collages. The gauzy quality to the set gives the effect of looking back to an earlier age ( in this case, pre-Revolutionary Russia ) and the cloudiness of memory in general.
Amid these panels, the cast ( handsomely attired by costumer Aly Renee Greaves ) navigates some emotionally fraught territory that features lots of unrequited love and the shattering of life-long ambitions and world-views ( there's also a startlingly relevant environmental message packed in ) .
As the embittered estate manager Vanya, Tom Hickey is great at playing up his middle-aged character's simmering anger. So when Vanya violently lashes out at his entitled brother-in-law, Serebryakov ( an appropriately confounding and out-of-touch Tim Curtis ) , you know exactly where this outburst is coming from.
But I would have liked Hickey's Vanya to stress more of his moody defeatism in ruefully pining for Serebryakov's unobtainable wife, Yelena ( Shannon Hoag, who nicely plays up her character's boredom and flattery of being desired by so many men ) .
As Vanya's no-nonsense niece, Sonya, Michaela Petro comes across as strong, but perhaps too in-control of her emotions. Particularly when Sonya reveals her burning passion for the alcoholic country doctor Astrov ( a sleepy-eyed Kyle Hamman ) , Petro seems to laugh it all off more than truly being fragile at unburdening her building passion.
The rest of cast offers up capable performances, even if they aren't fully embodying the world-weariness and resignation that any great passion in their lives is all but gone now.
Ultimately, Strawdog's handsome take on Uncle Vanya is one that will inspire lots of admiration and respect for its look and the though-provoking acting choices taken by its not-always-age-appropriate cast. Just don't go expecting to have your heart broken.
( And if Strawdog's version of Vanya isn't to your liking, you can hold out for the forthcoming production of the same play at Chicago Shakespeare Theater courtesy of by the touring Maly Drama Theatre of St. Petersberg, Russia, March 17-21. Just be sure that you don't mind hearing it in Russian with projected English translations. )