SEVEN CLASSIC PLAYS Uncle Vanya

Chekhov favored the realism of small moments and seemingly undramatic situations in which his characters find themselves musing and revealing their humanity. In UNCLE VANYA we discover a tangle of unrequited love, frustration, fear, nobility, and pettiness in nearly every character residing at a country estate. Director Yuri Rasovsky and his cast convey with sensitivity the many dimensions of these people in this reissue of a 1985 audio production. Brian Murray, for example, resists the urge to stereotype Doctor Astrov. We see the doctor as a full human being: his romantic longing for Elena, his indifference to Sonya, his compassionate idealism, his silly pontificating, his embarrassing drinking. Mary Lou Rosato similarly captures the complexity of Elena. A beautifully paced performance. G.H. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine [Published: OCT/ NOV 02]