The Bitter-Sweet Moments In Ordinary Life

The transformation of a tiny theatre company into a powerhouse of world drama has been attributed to Lev Dodin's tenure at the Maly Drama Theatre of St. Petersburg. Recipients of both State & International Awards, Maly Drama Theatre tours the world to much acclaim. This year they bring their repertoire to the Theatre Royal Haymarket season with Dodin's interpretation of Uncle Vanya, the classic play by Anton Chekhov. It will run in rep with Vasily Grossman's, Life and Fate.

What Is Uncle Vanya About?

Uncle Vanya is the story of how Professor Serebryakov and his beautiful wife Yelena have left St Petersburg to settle on the family's remote country estate. There the plain Sonya, the professor's daughter from his first marriage, and her Uncle Vanya have been working tirelessly to keep the estate going. The couple's arrival disrupts everyone's routine and tensions rise, due in part to Vanya and the local doctor Astrov both being infatuated by Yelena; and in turn both Sonya and Yelena being infatuated with Astrov.

Uncle Vanya is a tragicomedy about wasted time and unrequited love that examines human behaviour with all of its highs, lows, and laughable contradictions. It serves as a reminder to us all that life goes on.