 Marc J. FranklinThe last Uncle Vanya to cause a stir in New York was far more modest in physical size than the Broadway production opening tonight at Lincoln Center Theater's Vivian Beaumont Theater (to June 16), yet left a more emphatic impression. It took place in a Flatiron loft, with the audience seated in two rows running the length of the property's living room, with its brilliant actors—including Bill Irwin, Marin Ireland, David Cromer, and Will Brill (now starring in the season's deserved biggest hit, Stereophonic)—performing inches from audience members' feet. As hearts broke, guns appeared, and so many feelings went unsaid, all felt viscerally immediate and clear.
The much-anticipated LCT production—the Hollywood star Steve Carell's Broadway debut—is, first of all, such an odd duck to look at. The Beaumont stage is Lincoln Center's biggest, but what fills it here? Not much, and not much logically and engagingly. A picnic table. Random tables, chairs (kind of looks mid-century modern). The actors are in modern dress, and drift and shimmy all over the expanse—the floor looks like the cross section of tree. They sometimes seem to get lost, and so—despite some standout performances—unfortunately do we.
This production of Vanya, directed by Lila Neugebauer, has been adapted by Heidi Schreck, the playwright and performer of the exquisite
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