Theatre Review: Vanya

The Performance: Vanya

The Theatre: The Prince of Wales Theatre, St Martin's Lane, London, WC2

Stars: 5

Until 21 October. 

I have enough writing fodder from the events of the day to fill a couple of novellas - I didn't need the added extra of seeing a favourite actor on stage in a favourite play. 

But I did. 

And now I'm back in my cut-rate hotel room (look, it's clean and quiet and on a great location) with a packet of pickled onion Monster Munch and a bottle of Purdeys, half-cut and sort of wanting a cigarette. 

Such is the power of Andrew Scott. 

I've been joking that I pawned a kidney to see this since obtaining the ticket a few weeks ago. Andrew Scott - you'd know him as the hot priest in Fleabag, or Moriarty in Sherlock, or Gethin in Pride. If you were really lucky a few years ago, you could have seen him play Hamlet somewhere in London. 

He's an actor of his time. 

So, a one-man version of Chekhov's Uncle Vanya - my curiosity was piqued. It was heightened to the point where I needed to be there to see this. And for me, it was worth every penny of the 120 quid ticket.

120 quid - $240 Australian. Yeah. It had to be done. Hence selling the kidney. Oh, and this was a cheap seat...

For those who don't know about Uncle Vanya, it's a tragedy in the rural Russian sense. Wikipedia gives the potted synopsis as such:

"The play portrays the visit of an elderly professor and his glamorous, much younger second wife, Yelena, to the rural estate that supports their urban lifestyle. Two friends—Vanya, brother of the professor's late first wife, who has long managed the estate, and Astrov, the local doctor—both fall under Yelena's spell while bemoaning the ennui of their provincial existence. Sonya, the professor's daughter by his first wife, who has worked with Vanya to keep the estate going, suffers from her unrequited feelings for Astrov. Matters are brought to a crisis when the professor announces his intention to sell the estate, Vanya and Sonya's home, with a view to investing the proceeds to achieve a higher income for himself and his wife."

If you're looking to see a decent version of this, look to Louis Malle's Vanya of 42nd Street. Wallace Shawn, Julianne Moore and Brooke Smith add to the joy of this. 

In this version of Vanya, Andrew Scott pulls off as a one hander. 

And it was sublime. 

I went with some friends who are regular London theatre goers - and they weren't overly fussed with this. And that's okay. 

I gave it a standing ovation.

And Andrew Scott did this by himself, on stage for the better part of two hours. He wove and dove between characters with seeming ease. He was funny, sweet, bittersweet, tragic through the play - a change of stance, inflection or an entry through a doorway on the limited set, and he transformed into another character - seamlessly. 

His rendition of Sonya's speech nearly had me in tears.

Scott was funny, smart and effective. Simon Stephen's adaptation was just terrific, the re-cut play went so delicately nuanced, yet fully understandable. 

It was worth it to pawn the kidney. Besides - I have another one. 

I'm of the belief that Andrew Scott is an actor of his time - up there with Branagh, McKellen, Michael Sheen and David Tennent. 

He's phenomenal. 

This was phenomenal. 

And it has made my trip to London. 

I'm a lucky girl. 

The man in the convenience store across from the hotel told me I looked tired. This has to be thought of a bit more. 

I've been blown away. I'm biased. I don't care. 

Today's song: