by Macey Levin
Following its marvelous production this past year of The Glass Menagerie, Bridge Street Theatre in Catskill, New York, has chosen another classic play and created a beautifully acted and poignant production. Anton Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya, which takes place in Ukraine, originally produced by Konstantin Stanislavski’s Moscow Art Theatre in 1899, has gained a monumental reputation for its insights into humanity as well as a harbinger of future events. This adaptation by noted Irish playwright Conor McPherson is touching and profound complemented by a sometimes comedic exposition of a family’s hidden agendas along with their misapprehensions as to their own roles in life.
Serebryakov (Mike Durkin), an aged and ill professor, has retired to the family’s dilapidated estate with his much younger second wife Yelena (Sarah Jayne Rothkopf). His daughter Sonya (Abby Burris) by his first marriage manages the estate along with her uncle Vanya (Steven Patterson), her mother’s brother. Also in the household is Mariya (Renee Hewitt), Vanya’s mother, and the nursemaid Nana (Eileen Schuyler.) Visitors include Telegin (Eamon Martin), an indigent neighbor and Doctor Astrov (Richard Neil). Many of these people are involved in several plot threads that ultimately collide.
The old professor has been writing pamphlets since his retirement several years earlier that are proofread by his mother-in- law Mariya, his daughter Sonya and nephew Vanya, but, as Vanya says, nobody reads them. Yelena, the new wife, is something of a cipher. Other than her youth and beauty she offers nothing of substance to those around her; however, Astrov and Vanya are immediately attracted to her because of her stunning appearance and illusion of love’s ideal. Sonya, though the youngest, possesses more insight and sensitivity than the others. She feels Vanya’s restlessness; he has reluctantly worked the estate for years, but now at forty seven, believes that he has thrown his life away for nothing.
When Serebryakov calls for a family meeting he unveils a self-serving plan to sell the estate, invest the cash in the stock market and, more significantly, purchase a villa in Finland. This is the catalyst that releases a storm of emotions. All of these people are threatened with the loss of their already tenuous hold on reality; they know they are not who they want to be, yet who will they be if the very thing that enslaves them is removed? Some of them, especially Vanya, realize the darkness that surrounds and overwhelms their very existence. Life is hard because they have made it so, though none of them seem aware of it .
Though not major themes, there are three threads that McPherson’s adaptation explores which mirror political currents that continue to swirl in modern society. Astrov shares with Yelena paintings he has created that depict the slow deforestation of the countryside as the population grows. This process has evolved rapidly in the past century in all parts of the world. Mariya delivers a tirade about women’s subjugation by men and the denial of personal achievement, a centuries-long grievance. There are also implications of deep social unrest insidiously corrupting the old order. The audience must sense that 1917 is just round the corner and wonder about the future awaiting this family.
Sarah Jayne Rothkopf as Yelena and Steven Patterson as Vanya in Conor McPherson’s adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s “Uncle Vanya,” directed by John Sowle at the Bridge Street Theatre. 
From left, Eamon Martin as Telegin, Mike Durkin as Serebryakov, Richard Neil as Astrov, Renee Hewitt as Mariya, Eileen Schuyler as Nana, and Steven Patterson as Vanya in Conor McPherson’s adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s “Uncle Vanya,” directed by John Sowle at the Bridge Street Theatre. 
Steven Patterson as Vanya and Richard Neil as Astrov in Conor McPherson’s adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s “Uncle Vanya,” directed by John Sowle at the Bridge Street Theatre. 
Steven Patterson as Vanya and Abby Burris as Sonya in Conor McPherson’s adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s “Uncle Vanya,” directed by John Sowle at the Bridge Street Theatre. 
Steven Patterson as Vanya and Abby Burris as Sonya in Conor McPherson’s adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s “Uncle Vanya,” directed by John Sowle at the Bridge Street Theatre. 
Steven Patterson as Vanya and Abby Burris as Sonya in Conor McPherson’s adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s “Uncle Vanya,” directed by John Sowle at the Bridge Street Theatre. 
Abby Burris as Sonya and Sarah Jayne Rothkopf as Yelena in Conor McPherson’s adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s “Uncle Vanya,” directed by John Sowle at the Bridge Street Theatre. 
Abby Burris as Sonya and Eileen Schuyler as Nana in Conor McPherson’s adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s “Uncle Vanya,” directed by John Sowle at the Bridge Street Theatre. 
Steven Patterson as Vanya in Conor McPherson’s adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s “Uncle Vanya,” directed by John Sowle at the Bridge Street Theatre. 
Richard Neil as Astrov and Sarah Jayne Rothkopf as Yelena in Conor McPherson’s adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s “Uncle Vanya,” directed by John Sowle at the Bridge Street Theatre. 
Steven Patterson as Vanya and Abby Burris as Sonya in Conor McPherson’s adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s “Uncle Vanya,” directed by John Sowle at the Bridge Street Theatre. 
Steven Patterson as Vanya, Eileen Schuyler as Nana, and Eamon Martin as Telegin in Conor McPherson’s adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s “Uncle Vanya,” directed by John Sowle at the Bridge Street Theatre. 
Abby Burris as Sonya, Sarah Jayne Rothkopf as Yelena, and Mike Durkin as Serebryakov in Conor McPherson’s adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s “Uncle Vanya,” directed by John Sowle at the Bridge Street Theatre. 
Sarah Jayne Rothkopf as Yelena and Mike Durkin as Serebryakov in Conor McPherson’s adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s “Uncle Vanya,” directed by John Sowle at the Bridge Street Theatre. 
Steven Patterson as Vanya, Abby Burris as Sonya, and Sarah Jayne Rothkopf as Yelena in Conor McPherson’s adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s “Uncle Vanya,” directed by John Sowle at the Bridge Street Theatre. 
Richard Neil as Astrov and Sarah Jayne Rothkopf as Yelena in Conor McPherson’s adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s “Uncle Vanya,” directed by John Sowle at the Bridge Street Theatre. 
From left, Sarah Jayne Rothkopf as Yelena, Abby Burris as Sonya, Eamon Martin as Telegin, Steven Patterson as Vanya, Mike Durkin as Serebryakov, Renee Hewitt as Mariya, Eileen Schuyler as Nana, Richard Neil as Astrov in Conor McPherson’s adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s “Uncle Vanya,” directed by John Sowle at the Bridge Street Theatre. 
Poster art by Eamon Martin.
The acting is superb. Patterson’s Vanya is a tangle of emotions. His frustration, tempered by his sense of responsibility, creates a profound discordance within him. He elicits the audience’s sympathies as they watch his life eroding. Yelena’s sensuality adds to an already nettlesome internal conflict which engulfs his sense of emotional isolation. Patterson always delivers an intelligent, layered performance. His Vanya reverberates with the “what might have been” which often haunts humans with unrequited dreams.
Rothkopf imbues Yelena with a winning yet vapid personality. The marriage to the aging professor is more of a concession to a comfortable future than a love match. She has nothing to offer except for beauty. Her allure understandably attracts Astrov and Vanya, but she rejects them for the soft life, she imagined through her marriage to an older man.
Astrov as played by Neil is charmingly reprehensible. He touches upon the character’s weaknesses as he gives voice to his worries. Though he seems to be more realistic in sizing up the world around him, his drinking dampens the ability to understand the emotional tangle he has helped to create within the family.
The strongest member of the family is Burris’s Sonya. At first she’s on the quiet, unassuming side, but as situations intensify her strength grows. The last speech in the play is hers. It is a gentle but strong appreciation that one must live life however it is presented.
Eileen Schuyler’s performance as Nana is a sympathetic and empathetic victim of the machinations in the household as created by the robust performance of Mike Durkin’s professor.
Eamon Martin’s Telegin, often called Waffles, is a sweet, lonely man who finds fellowship with the family. Renee Hewitt is a strong Mariya who attempts to protect herself from the conflicts surrounding her.
Under the direction of Bridge Street’s John Sowle the production soars. Though there are a number of philosophical exchanges, the pace never lags. The relationships of the various characters are real and honest and his staging is replete with creative stage pictures. As opposed to most somber interpretations of Vanya, this version by McPherson and the work of the director find the comedy in the plot. This, however, does not minimize the despair of the characters. The play takes place in 1900 but the behavior of these people suggests contemporary attitudes which Sowle cultivates. This is a very tight production.
Carmen Borgia’s set suggests a house that has fallen into disuse yet still feels comfortable. The colors are dark and the furnishings heavy. The family continues to live in a faded memory of the past. The set changes are visible as the actors move in a choreographed pattern. The costumes designed by Michelle Rogers, mixes vintage fashions with a hint of modern clothing which establishes the timelessness of human foibles and frustrations. The sensitive and evocative lighting by Eric Leary, emphasizes the claustrophobia of the characters’ surroundings.
Bridge Street is known for outstanding theatre experiences. This Uncle Vanya enhances that well-deserved reputation.
Uncle Vanya by Anton Chekhov, Adapted by Conor McPherson; Director: John Sowle; Cast: Eileen Schuyler (Nana) Richard Neil (Astrov) Steven Patterson (Vanya) Eamon Martin (Telegin) Abby Burris (Sonya) Mike Durkin (Serebryakov) Sarah Jayne Rothkopf (Yelena) Renee Hewitt (Mariya); Sets and Sound: Carmen Borgia; Lights: Eric Leary; Costumes: Michelle Rogers; Music: Vadim Nesekovskyi; Assistant Director: Timothy Dunn; Production Stage Manager Hannarose Manning; Poster art: Eamon Martin; Running time: 2 hours, 30 minutes, one intermission; May 9-May 19 2024; Bridge Street Theatre, 45 Bridge Street, Catskill, NY.; For information and tickets go to their website at www.bridgestreettheatre.org