Uncle Vanya Déjà Vu All Over Again
Review of the Theater Communications Group paperback (October 23, 2018) of a translation by Richard Nelson, Richard Pevear & Larissa Volokhonsky of the Russian language original Дядя Ваня (1897).

Yes, I know this is the 3rd version of Uncle Vanya that I've read within the last month. In advance preparation for seeing a recent Toronto theatrical adaptation by Liisa Repo-Martell (which is not in print) I listened to David Mamet's and read Richard Nelson's adaptations which I reviewed respectively here and here.

The curious thing about Uncle Vanya is not only the number of translations which exist, but also the number of so-called "adaptations". These latter efforts are usually in the cause of modernizing the text and in cutting the number of characters. In both the Mamet & Nelson adaptations the walk-on part of the Workman is dropped. Nelson even drops the part of the impoverished farmer Telegin aka Waffles, whose part is admittedly small but does allow for musical interludes. A recent National Theatre Live adaptation by Simon Stephens (published as Vanya (2023)) both modernizes the text AND turns it into a one-man solo production with Andrew Scott playing ALL THE PARTS. You can see a trailer for that here [NOTE: If you are reading this in early March 2024, the NTLive production might be available at your local movie theatre]

Anyway, I wanted to read a complete authentic translation version as well and this one from the TCG series of classic Russian plays seemed the best go-to. It includes an informative introduction by translator Richard Pevear and at least a short series of footnotes to explain various references and to provide historical background. This was an ideal introductory and complete Uncle Vanya.

Trivia and Links
As Uncle Vanya is in the public domain, you can read various online translations at sources such as Project Gutenberg. The English language translator is not identified.

You can also read the original Russian language version of Uncle Vanya at iLibrary.ru. If you turn on web translator you can obtain your own rough translation. ( )

If Samuel Beckett were Russian Again
Review of the Broadway Play Publishing Inc paperback (January 18, 2023) adapted by Richard Nelson from a translation by Richard Pevear & Larissa Volokhonsky of the Russian language original Дядя Ваня (1897).

Reading this edition was again part of my pre-show research before seeing a Toronto production yesterday which had been adapted by one of our local theatre figureheads Liisa Repo-Martell, but for which no playscript edition is available. I reviewed the 2013 David Mamet / LA Theater Works production yesterday as If Samuel Beckett were Russian.

I have to say that both the Nelson and the Mamet adaptations are remarkably conservative in their approach with few embellishments. Repo-Martell goes much further with modern day colloquialisms, occasional f-bombs, Shakespeare and Dostoevsky references etc. There is an entire lengthy song and dance routine added to the carousing scene by Vanya, Telegin & Astrov. I enjoyed the Toronto production immensely. It brought out both the humor and despondency of the work in an enormously engaging manner. Repo-Martell dropped the factory workman walk-on cameo as did Mamet. Nelson even drops the Telegin farmer/musician character which seems even a greater loss as the character helps to liven the action (assuming the actor can play an instrument). I dropped a star for that deletion in this version.

See photo at https://scontent-ord5-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/426634700_25696041383327971_8...
The cast of the Toronto production acknowledges the sound & lighting booth techs. Image sourced from my own photo, from my mini-theatre review.

Trivia and Links
See my earlier review linked above for links to the Toronto production page and various online public domain sources. ( )

If Samuel Beckett were Russian
Review of the LA Theatre Works production on Audible Audio (February 2014) adapted by David Mamet from a translation by Vlada Chernornirdik of the Russian language original Дядя Ваня (1897).

I'm seeing a revival of the Toronto Crow's Theatre production of Liisa Repo-Martell's adaptation of Uncle Vanya later today. There is no playscript edition of that version, so for my pre-show research I listened to this 2013 production by LA Theatre Works and also read the Uncle Vanya (2023) adaptation by Richard Nelson based on the Richard Pevear & Larissa Volokhonsky translation.

Although this is a David Mamet adaptation, it is quite faithful to the original and does not contain any Mametisms (i.e. the "sometimes vulgar dialogue and arcane stylized phrasing" as mentioned in his Goodreads bio), so purists need not be afraid. It was interesting to note that there are many "adaptations" as well as "translations" of the text. These usually involve line cuts and reducing the cast of 9 down to 8 by dropping the cameo walk-on by a workman asking for the doctor's assistance or down to 7 by also dropping the bit part of the impoverished farmer Telegin (who provides for occasional musical interludes). The Mamet adaptation drops only the workman part.

The unique feature of this audiobook is that the last 30 minutes consist of an interview with Chekhov authority Rosamund Bartlett, author of Chekhov: Scenes from a Life (2004). Bartlett discusses the origin of Uncle Vanya as an retelling of Chekhov's earlier failed work The Wood Demon: A Comedy in Four Acts (1889). There was this exchange during the interview:

Q: Modern audiences often think of Chekhov's plays as stark and almost existential, but he considered them to be comedies. What did Chekhov have to say about the mixture of humour and hopelessness in his work and how has Uncle Vanya been interpreted over the last century?
A. Well, he did have an original idea about comedy I suppose. He originally called 'The Wood Demon' a comedy, 'Uncle Vanya' he called 'Scenes from County Life' and I think from the very beginning there is always this sort of tension in his work between tragedy and comedy. He wrote these sort of vaudevilles early in his life and he never lost his sense of humour, he never lost his sense of the ridiculousness of life.

See photograph at https://static.wixstatic.com/media/3140fe_a0e83b9c57644ceeb210ce6a0ae976de~mv2.j...
Bahia Watson as Sonya and Tom Rooney as Uncle Vanya in the Toronto Crow's Theatre production of Uncle Vanya (orig 2022/remount 2024). Image sourced from a review at Our Theatre Voice.

Trivia Note
In the final arcane qualifier of the Goodreads Not a Book restrictions, this theatrical production could be considered "Invalid" and the audiobook and its reviews are subject to deletion without warning. The restriction says that "theatrical production recordings" are considered "Not a Book." The paradox being that a printed playscript is a book, but a recording of that same play being performed and presented as a audiobook is not. This was one issue during the NAB Wars of 2020-21 on Goodreads which remained unresolved when a truce was achieved and most Audible Originals were allowed to qualify as a book, previously they were being deleted at the whim of various NABers (Not-A-Book deleting librarians).

Trivia and Link
Uncle Vanya is in the public domain and an English translation can be read online at Project Gutenberg. The translator is not identified.

You can read the original Russian language version of Uncle Vanya at iLibrary.ru. If you turn on web translator you can compare how translators have interpreted the text. ( )

Absolutely nothing happens. Bit of yelling at one point, but nothing comes of it. ( )

I read while listening to the Librivox full cast recording, which I will recommend. I found having different people reading the different parts (plus their intonations at certain times) really helped me keep track of who was who.

This play struck me as having a lot going on even through it is mostly talk rather than action. Vanya (Ivan) has been caring for his niece Sonia's estate after his sister died; now, his (former?) brother-in-law & his second wife Helena are visiting. Helena exerts a disruptive influence on all the male characters which irresistably reminded me of Helen of Troy.

I was struck by how modern some of the ideas expressed were. One example of this is the doctor's ideas about forests - his thoughts about deforestation and climate could have been spoken by someone today. I hadn't realized that these ideas existed in the late 1800s when Chekhov wrote this play!
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