Past Reviews

Regional Reviews: Washington, D.C.

Uncle Vanya
Round House Theatre

Also see Susan's reviews of Murder Ballad and Dame Edna's Glorious Goodbye: The Farewell Tour


Joy Zinoman, Mark Jaster, Mitchell Hébert, Gabriela Fernandez-Coffey, Nancy Robinette, Kimberly Gilbert, and Jerry Whiddon
Audience members not familiar with the works of Anton Chekhov could easily think—on the basis of a gorgeous production at Round House Theatre in Bethesda, Maryland—that Uncle Vanya was written in recent years instead of more than a century ago. Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Annie Baker has created an adaptation that enchants by displaying Chekhov's shrewd grasp of human nature in totally accessible contemporary language.

Director John Vreeke blurs the exact time period of this production, although the play retains Chekhov's late 19th-century trappings (people still take tea from a samovar and travel in horse-drawn carriages). As costumed by Ivania Stack, the men wear fairly ageless jackets and ties, while glamorous Yelena (Gabriela Fernandez-Coffey) dresses like a contemporary starlet, right down to the oversized sunglasses, and dowdy Sonya (Kimberly Gilbert) wears an ill-fitting wrap dress over leggings; her attempt to dress up is sadly touching. Maria Vasilyevna Voinitskaya (Joy Zinoman) may be getting up in years and living in the country, but she wears elegant tunics and pants.

As always with Chekhov, the plot, such as it is, derives from the characters and their behavior, both funny and affecting. Vanya (Mitchell Hébert) lives with his mother Maria and his late sister's daughter Sonya on his family's country estate, which has seen better days. They have devoted their lives to supporting Alexander Vladimirovich Serebryakov (Jerry Whiddon), a pompous professor and Sonya's father, who arrives with Yelena, his stunning young wife. Yelena's presence magnetizes both Vanya and family friend Dr. Astrov (Ryan Rilette), but no one can really see beyond his or her own perspective.

Rather than an all-star cast, Vreeke has assembled a team of Most Valuable Players from both on and offstage, and they do sterling work as individuals and an ensemble. Rilette is the current Producing Artistic Director of Round House; Whiddon, co-founder of Round House and its Producing Artistic Director from 1985-2005; and Zinoman, founding Artistic Director of Washington's Studio Theatre. Most of the cast members have either received or been nominated for Helen Hayes Awards; Hébert has been honored both for acting and directing.

Misha Kachman's surrealistic set is a marvel: rooms flow into one another without the encumbrance of walls, and tree trunks join pieces of furniture indoors, all topped by a curtain that resembles a billowing sail. Cast members Eric Shimelonis and Mark Jaster provide the sound design and original music, performed on accordion, harmonica, and a tinny upright piano.

Round House Theatre
Uncle Vanya
April 8th - May 3rd
By Anton Chekhov, adapted by Annie Baker working with a literal translation by Margarita Shalina and the original Russian text
Yefim: Eric Shimelonis
Marina: Nancy Robinette
Mikhail Lvovich Astrov: Ryan Rilette
Ivan Petrovich Voinitsky (Vanya): Mitchell Hébert
Alexander Vladimirovich Serebryakov: Jerry Whiddon
Sophia Alexandrovna (Sonya): Kimberly Gilbert
Ilya Ilyich Telegin: Mark Jaster Yelena Andreyevna (Yelena): Gabriela Fernandez-Coffey
Maria Vasilyevna Voinitskaya: Joy Zinoman
Directed by John Vreeke
4545 East-West Highway
Bethesda, MD
Ticket Information: 240-644-1100 or www.roundhousetheatre.org


Photo: Danisha Crosby