New Adaptation of Chekhov’s Play ‘Uncle Vanya’ to Run at WWU March 5-14
The Western Washington University Department of Theatre and Dance presents a new adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s “Uncle Vanya” by Seattle playwright Craig Lucas on the WWU Performing Arts Center Mainstage from March 5-14, with evening performances at 7:30 p.m. and select matinees at 2 p.m.
Chekhov’s characters long for happiness but expect someone else to provide it for them. The characters are self-involved, ignoring at their own peril the destruction of their natural resources. Writing in the 19th century, Chekhov predicted that, in a few hundred years, this human trait would have dire consequences.
“Uncle Vanya” is a comedy (Chekhov thought all his plays were).
“The characters are as ridiculous as the people we sit beside at the airport or see eating at a booth behind us at a restaurant,” said director Beth Leonard. “Everyone complains about how empty their lives are and yet scurry home to turn on the TV or boot up the computer.”
The play portrays the visit of an elderly professor and his trophy second wife to the rural estate that supports their urban lifestyle. “Uncle” Vanya, brother of the professor's first wife, who has long managed the estate, and Astrov, the local doctor, both fall for the professor’s new wife. Crisis descends on the estate when the professor announces his intention to sell it, with a view to investing the proceeds to achieve a higher income for himself and his wife.
Leonard describes the play as “a witty, smart and hopefully recognizable story about a group of people who can be as familiar as our next door neighbors, or the face across our kitchen table.”
Tickets to “Uncle Vanya” are $13-$16 for the general public; student prices begin at $7; and a discount is available for WWU staff and faculty. Reservations and information are available at (360) 650-6146 or cfpa.wwu.edu/theatredance.