Soho Rep Extends Annie Baker Adaptation of Uncle Vanya Into August

By Adam Hetrick
28 Jun 2012

Maria Dizzia and Michael Shannon
Maria Dizzia and Michael Shannon
Photo by Julieta Cervantes

Soho Rep has extended its production of Anton Chekhov's Uncle Vanya, a new, contemporary adaptation by playwright Annie Baker, an additional month of performances through Aug. 26.

Directed by Sam Gold (Circle Mirror…, The Aliens), the in-the-round production captured theatregoers and critics alike when it opened June 17 in a staging that places the audience and the cast together inside an A-frame house constructed within Soho Rep. The audience is seated on carpeted risers sitting cross-legged.

Uncle Vanya began previews June 7 and first extended through July 22. Tickets are now on sale on the Soho Rep website through Aug. 26.

The extension means New Yorkers will be able to witness two takes on Vanya this summer. The Sydney Theatre Company's production of the Chekhov classic, starring Academy Award winner Cate Blanchett and Richard Roxburg, will play the Lincoln Center Festival July 19-28.

Reed Birney (Circle Mirror..., Blasted) stars in the title role of the Soho Rep staging, with Tony Award nominee Maria Dizzia (In the Next Room, Eurydice, Belleville) as Yelena; Georgia Engel (The Drowsy Chaperone, Middletown, "The Mary Tyler Moore Show") as Marina; Tony nominee Peter Friedman (Circle Mirror Transformation, Ragtime) as Serebryakov; Academy Award nominee Michael Shannon ("Revolutionary Road," "Boardwalk Empire," Mistakes Were Made) as Astrov; Matthew Maher (Orange, Hat & Grace) as Telegin; Paul Thureen (Buddy Cop 2) as Yefim; Rebecca Schull ("Wings") as Maria; and Merritt Wever (The Illusion) as Sonya.

Baker also designed costumes for Vanya, which has set design by Andrew Lieberman, costume design by Baker, lighting design by Mark Barton and sound design by Matt Tierney.

Baker earned an Obie Award for her Off-Broadway hit Circle Mirror Transformation. Her plays also include The Aliens and Body Awareness. Playwrights Horizons will produce her newest play, The Flick, in 2013.

For tickets visit SohoRep. Soho Rep is located at 46 Walker Street in Manhattan.