Vanya – Londres – Nueva York – Mar del Plata

Anton Chekhov, the famous Russian playwright, published his work " Uncle Vanya " at the end of the 19th century. This text, a reworking of " The Spirit of the Forest ," which premiered a year earlier, uses the same characters and even much of the same dialogue. In " The Spirit of the Forest, " everyone is younger, more beautiful, and more inspired. Elena , the wife, is having a joyful affair with the local Don Juan . The Spirit of the Forest is not as cynical as the doctor in " Uncle Vanya" ; faced with his failure, he decides to commit suicide. The entire play has a more cheerful and positive tone. " Uncle Vanya " was written in 1899, and the action not only shifts from the forest to the countryside, but the characters have also lost all hope and decisiveness. Each of them is trapped in a meaningless routine, and a heavy will to fail weighs on their minds. Dreams are distant utopias. Lust and jealousy lack the power to alter this reality in which everyone is mired; they merely subtly nuance it. No one dies, nothing changes.
Chekhov was frequently criticized for his indirect style. The plot unfolds through dialogues that initially appear trivial and disjointed. This was likely a tactic to circumvent strict Tsarist censorship. Perhaps for the same reason, the playwright added the description " Scenes from Country Life " to the title, evoking bucolic and peaceful associations. However, the dialogues reveal little to nothing about rural life. Within the cast of characters, there is only one farm laborer, who rarely makes a remark. The drama exposes the inequalities of society, in which a select few enjoy life while everyone else must make daily sacrifices. Unrequited love, lust, and the lovelessness between parents and their children are central themes of the story. As the plot progresses, unresolved situations accumulate, and the atmosphere becomes increasingly tense and intense.
Simon Stephens fell in love with the works of Chekhov while studying to become a teacher and working in a wine shop to make ends meet. Between sales, he read " The Cherry Orchard ," a drama that unfolds between the lines, about 15 times. He was fascinated by this style of writing, which lacked grand speeches or terrible accusations. There was no explicit struggle in Chekhov's texts. Reading this play in London's East End in the 1990s had a profound impact on the young Stephens. These alienated people, who didn't understand what was happening to them and why, seemed very similar to the working-class families in the East End who were losing their bearings, their surroundings. The East End was changing, excluding those who had created it. This led to the creation of " Christmas ," one of his first plays (2003).
Stephens' reputation grew, and thanks to major successes like Punk Rock (2009) and Three Kingdoms (2011), he became one of the most awarded English playwrights. His adaptation of the novel The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (2017) was seen by millions. Nevertheless, he always harbored a secret desire to write his own versions of Chekhov's plays. His biggest concern was that he would have to work on a translation of a translation, as he speaks neither Russian nor German. His approach to each play was different.
He first adapted the highly acclaimed The Cherry Orchard for director Katie Mitchell . Initially, the play seemed too ambitious, as the text held an almost sacred quality for him. He began by reading everything he could find about the play and then wrote one act each week until he had completed all four acts. In conversation with Mitchell, they decided to set the entire play in a single location: the nursery. His greatest effort went into the character of Charlotta Ivanovna , whom he made the epitome of feminism.
Then he set about transcribing " The Seagull " for Anthony Fletcher, an English director living in Uruguay and a good friend of Sean Holmes . Holmes and Stephens were discussing Lesley Sharp , a magnificent actress, when Simon suddenly suggested her as Arkadina in " The Seagull ." They told her about it, and she was immediately enthusiastic about the idea. The entire play was tailored to her. Sean Holmes is a revolutionary director who questions the role of the actor on stage. Stephens didn't research, didn't look for old versions, but simply set about creating a vibrant, energetic play. Chekhov writes for his people; he writes about life, about lustful, drunken, violent people, about their madness and despair. Stephens has tried to do the same, but in the language of his fellow human beings.
In his third interpretation, Stephens the play " Uncle Vanya " a Copernican twist by transforming it into a monologue. Sam Yates , the director, wanted to use cutting-edge technology so that the audience could hear the characters' thoughts from offstage. Stephens and Yates began working on this idea and invited Andrew Scott to a reading in South London . At this initial meeting, all three took turns reading the text. They soon realized that none of them could read the dialogue as well as Andrew. The play was rewritten to be performed by a single actor, by shortening and clarifying it. They worked on it for a year, meeting every two to three months before beginning rehearsals. The decision to set the play in the Irish countryside is a direct result of these encounters with Scott and his connection to his Irish identity. Thus, almost by chance, Vanya was born.
On this side of the Atlantic, other happy coincidences unexpectedly occurred. The legendary and multi-award-winning playwright Oscar Barney Finn met Paulo Brunetti , a versatile actor from the province of Santa Cruz in southern Ireland. Together they have already created several masterpieces. Following the successes of " La lluvia seguirá cayendo " (It Will Keep Raining) and " Muchacho de Luna " (Moon Boy – a fabulous text about Federico García Lorca , where his poems, plays, and songs are reinterpreted), comes " Vanya ," the extraordinary adaptation by Simon Stephens , once again revised by the experienced Barney Finn . The story is no longer set in the Irish countryside, but in Argentinian Patagonia, Brunetti's homeland.
It takes superb actors like Andrew Scott , the multi-award-winning Irish actor who brought to life the power-hungry Moriarty in the British series Sherlock and the versatile Tom Ripley in the eponymous miniseries, to embody the eight characters that drive the plot in Vanya . Paulo Brunetti, known for his outstanding work in both Chile and Argentina , is more than up to the task. Vanya is a true tour de force that keeps the audience on the edge of their seats for nearly 90 minutes. With minimal means and striking vocal shifts, Brunetti effortlessly creates characters as diverse as a pompous Russian writer, a beautiful yet apathetic young woman married to him, a doctor exhausted by his profession who drowns his sorrows in alcohol, and a young, inexperienced girl. It is impossible to mistake them for one another; each has their own distinct style, their own features, their own gestures. The initial confusion soon gives way to a hypnotic fascination that lasts until the curtain falls.
Sonia's final interpretation, depicting the complex journey from resignation to hope at the end, is deeply moving. We see Vanya kneeling beside the swing. His face reflects the pain of knowing he has lost everything and is condemned to a life of deprivation and isolation, but we don't hear his voice, only Sonia's, filling the silence with words of hope. It is simply brilliant and, thanks to Brunetti's great sensitivity, possesses an emotional power that is impossible to resist.
Barney Finn 's staging is meticulous and respectful of the original text, making this production a unique and unforgettable experience. Vanya combines the best of monologue, Chekhov's emotional intensity, the versatility of a great actor who wields all the tools of his art with great mastery, and a modern, highly successful set design that is simultaneously field and house, transporting us to another world. We can almost see the diamond-studded sky at the end.
Saturdays and Sundays throughout the 2025 summer season Cuatro Elementos in Mar del Plata . Located slightly outside the city center, the venue has been a fixture in the cultural scene for over a decade, attracting both theater and music lovers. Thanks to the support of the Cabrales , high-quality productions like this one can be offered at an affordable price. The play is sure to be a great success, just as it has been in London, New York , and Buenos Aires . If you're spending your vacation in Mar del Plata , don't miss it!

Technical data

Author: Simon Stephens (based on texts by Anton Chekhov)
Translation: Marcelo Zapata
Director: Oscar Barney Finn
Cast: Paulo Brunetti
Set Design: Tomas Heck
Production: Oscar Barney Finn, Pablo Brunetti and Tomas Heck.
Cuatro Elementos Espacio Teatral – Alberti 2146 – Mar del Plata

Author's note : The anecdotes about Simon Stephens are taken from the interview " Simon Stephens about his love to Anton Chekhov and working on Vanya " by Yulia Savikovskaya , published on February 12, 2024, on the London Cult . https://londoncult.co.uk/en/simon-stephens-about-his-love-to-anton-chekhov-and-working-on-vanya/