Joanna Murray-Smith’s adaptation of Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya has an interesting motive as it seeks to bring a classic play into a modern-day Australian context. With a great track record, Murray-Smith seemed like the ideal person to bring this play into the present. However, ultimately, despite some fine acting in parts of this performance and a great, well-designed set at the beautiful Ensemble Theatre, this production ultimately falls slightly flat with an adaptation that, on the whole, fails to connect with its audience.  

We are initially introduced to a family who is living on a rural estate. The story centres around Uncle Vanya, his niece Sonya, the doctor Astrov, his mother and his housekeeper. The arrival of the Professor Serebryakov and his wife Yelena disrupts the house, with a number of love dynamics and issues of superiority presenting themselves immediately.

There are some elements of this production that certainly allow it to shine. The quality of the acting is strong especially from some of the more secondary characters. Abbey Morgan shines as Sonya, bringing a lively power to the stage while John Gaden AO steals every scene he is in (of which there are unfortunately too few). But it is Morgan, often with Vanessa Downing and Yalin Ozucelik (Nanny and Vanya respectively) that really bring out the farce of the show. Unfortunately, for me, the comedy often does not really come through and some of the modern references feel slightly forced and stilted but the actors certainly do an excellent job of bringing out what can be extracted from the text. 

The set design is also gorgeous and credit must go to the set designer Nick Fry for his understated yet elegant oak-looking design which goes a long way towards capturing the mood and ambiance that Murray-Smith and Director Mark Kilmurry seek to create. 

With all the elements of a strong play, combined with the fantastic, intimate layout of the Ensemble Theatre, the play is ultimately let down in its use of the source material. Arguably, Chekhov’s brilliance is most obvious in the craft of his writing so adapting this play to a modern vernacular perhaps highlights the weaknesses of the text and removes some of its brilliance. The plot meanders, especially in the first act and the audience is left wondering when the farce is going to come. Even in some of the more critical moments, there is a lack of tension, and the plot misses the presence of something to which the audience connect. 

The sentiments of this review seemed to be also shared among members of the audience on the night attended, with many murmurs as to the issues with pacing and length. If this play was to work, it would have been better in a short one act format, honing in on a particular issue or comedy upon which the audience could focus for a brief period of time. In this case, the interval simply breaks the flow and makes an already difficult play to follow even more confusing.

Ultimately, this is a play with a lot of potential but when on the stage (and in spite of the largely superb acting), it unfortunately falls slightly flat. Given the usual stellar quality of Ensemble’s (and indeed, Murray-Smith’s) work, perhaps this is an aberration (or perhaps the reviewer is simply missing something) but despite best intentions, the comedy and beauty of Chekhov feel lost in this adaptation. Making great theatre often involves taking significant risks and Ensemble must be commended for maintaining their commitment to supporting new theatre but in this case, it just doesn’t quite work. 

Rating: ★★★

Uncle Vanya plays at the Ensemble Theatre until 31^st August. For more information click here. 

Photo credit: Prudence Upton