Uncle Vanya. By Anton Chekhov. Adapted by David Mamet from a literal translation by Vlada Chernomordik. Directed by Geoffrey Borny. Canberra Repertory Society. Theatre 3. April 28-May 14. canberrarep.org.au.
Geoffrey Borny is a big fan of Anton Chekhov. He's published an ebook on the Russian playwright, Interpreting Chekhov, and has both acted in and directed his works: "He's a playwright I love."
Borny is in the director's chair for the upcoming Canberra Rep production of Uncle Vanya. He's using a modern adaptation by the American writer David Mamet – "he's a theatre man; he knows what works in the theatre".
Uncle Vanya premiered in 1899 and was a more successful reworking of Chekhov's earlier play The Wood Demon, which had been produced 10 years earlier.
In Uncle Vanya, Professor Serebryakov (Jerry Hearn) and his young wife Helene (Lainie Hart) visit his country estate, run by Vanya (Sam Hannan-Morrow) and Sofya (Yanina Clifton), the professor's daughter from his first marriage. Sofya is in love with a country doctor, Astrov (Jim Adamik), but she is not beautiful enough for him. And the scene is set for an outbreak of jealousy, lust, frustration and revelations as relationships are tested and emotions eventually erupt.
Others in the cast are Neil McLeod as Telegin, Alice Ferguson as Marina, Bojana Kos as Yelena and Antonia Kitzel as Voyniyzky.
Borny says two of the things that stand out about the play for him are its environmental concerns and its humour.
"One of the things that's very important is how advanced it is on issues of the environment," he says.
Astrov – a doctor, as Chekhov was – is concerned with preventative health and the importance of nature, making sure plants and grounds and animals as well as people are well cared for. It's a message that's still all too timely, Borny says.
"My God, after 100 years we still haven't learnt."
And even more broadly Chekhovian is the humour. While some, like the Russian director Konstantin Stanislavsky, called his work tragic, Borny says Chekhov always saw his plays as comedies – the long ones like this and The Cherry Orchard as well as the more obviously humorous shorter works.
"It's an interesting thing. Shakespeare would alternate a comic scene with a tragic scene ... Chekhov would synthesise tragicomedy, a synthesis of the two, you laugh and on the other hand you think, 'That's awful."'
For example, characters can be humiliated in ways that can be both awkwardly funny and painful and Borny is keen to capture the double-edged feeling of this without resorting to obvious physical comedy, which he says is too often resorted to in productions of Chekhov's plays.
He says a lot of what happens in Chekhov goes on in the subtext of what is being said and done, just like real life.
