Toby Jones and Richard Armitage will star in a revival of Uncle Vanya at the Harold Pinter Theatre from 14th January 2020. The upcoming production will feature a new adaptation of Anton Chekhov's original text by Conor McPherson with tickets available now.
Chekhov's original text sees an elderly professor and his glamorous wife visit their rural estate where two friends - Vanya, the brother of the professor's first wife, and the local doctor Astrov - become enamoured with the wife. Matters turn to crisis when the couple decides to sell the estate, where Vanya and his niece Sonya live, looking to invest the money for a maximum profit.
Richard Armitage will appear in the stage production as the local doctor, Astrov. His stage credits include John Proctor in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible at the Old Vic, and Miek Bartlett's Love, Love, Love on Broadway. On-screen, Armitage is known for his roles in The Hobbit films, as well as the British TV series North & South and Spooks.
Toby Jones stars in the piece as Vanya. His stage credits include Harold Pinter's The Birthday Party, Caryl Churchill's Glass. Kill. Bluebeard. Imp. at the Royal Court and Parlour Song at the Almeida Theatre.
Casting for the production also includes Ciarán Hinds, Rosalind Eleazar, Aimee Lou Wood, Anna Calder Marshall, Deabhla Molloy and Peter Wight.
Ian Rickson directs the production. His recent London credits include Rosmersholm at the Duke of York's Theatre, Translations at the National Theatre, and has worked previously with writer Conor McPherson on the play The Weir.
Uncle Vanya tickets are available now at LondonTheatre.co.uk.
"It's an honour to present a new translation of Anton Chekhov's masterpiece, Uncle Vanya, one of the most influential plays ever written. The river of classic plays which flow from its spring, acknowledged by Eugene O'Neill, Tennessee Williams, Arthur Miller and Brian Friel to name a few, is a monumental testament to its enduring power. And it shows no sign of abating. Chekhov's portrayal of how the rituals of our daily existence can be blindsided by thwarted desire continues to fascinate playwrights and audiences alike. Touching off that energy has been a personal privilege and I'm hugely excited to see this production come to life." Conor McPherson
Michael Billington recently wrote a feature for The Guardian in which he commented that he's seen nearly two dozen productions of Uncle Vanya in over 60 years as a theatregoer (48 of them as a critic); and even if I can't (yet) claim quite those numbers on any of those scores, like Billington I consider it to be my personal favourite of all of Chekhov's plays - indeed, I'd go even further and say it's my favourite play, period, from a writer who I consider my favourite of all... Read more
