The production, which won the Best Production at Russia's Golden Mask Awards, will be performed in Russian with English surtitles. It follows last year's season, at the same address, by Moscow's Sovremennik Theatre Company.
In a press statement, producer Oksana Nemchuk said that after the success of the Sovremennik season, "I now understand the importance of bringing these unique and previously unseen Russian theatre productions to the West End. I hope this return to the Noël Coward will mark the beginning of a regular Russian theatre season in London."
Directed by Rimas Tuminas, the production has "no Chekhovian mansion, no cosy arm-chairs, no table laid for lunch with a lacy tablecloth and hot samovar; no feeling of 'home' where several generations have lived." In a press statement, the director commented, "I wanted to show the death of the culture that had existed for several centuries. I discovered Chekhov’s drama when I was a third year student at the Vilnus Conservatoire (productions of his plays in Lithuania were rare and far between). Instantly I had that odd feeling that I was a pioneer who had discovered a brilliant, yet generally unknown playwright. My decision to become a director stemmed largely from the desire to stage Chekhov. In this sense I’ve been staging Chekhov all my life. I first put on Uncle Vanya in Vilnus twenty years ago. Since then I have been staging this play in theatres around the world. I even once compared it to a folk song that one feels like singing over and over again. Now with this production I'm becoming increasingly aware that there are still lots of things to be discovered in this play and that the characters appear to be different from what I thought they were earlier. The dialogue Chekhov engages in with the modern times is amazingly complex. It is no less amazing to see the company that has for a long time been labeled 'anti-Chekhovian' reveal its best qualities precisely in a production of Chekhov's plays."
The cast includes Sergey Makovetsky, Vladimir Simonov, Ludmila Maksakova, Vladimir Vdovichenkov and Galina Konovalova. The soundscape is created by composer Faustas Latenas, with sets and scenery by Adomas Yatsovskis.
To book tickets, contact the box office on 0844 482 5140, or visit www.delfontmackintosh.co.uk.
