Uncle Vanya Presents Timeless Message of Life
By Chung Ah-young
Staff Reporter
The year 2010 marks the 150th anniversary of Russian playwright Anton Chekhov's birth. Considered to be one of the greatest short-story writers in the history of world literature, Chekhov also produced four classic plays ― "The Cherry Orchard," "The Three Sistersm," "The Seagull" and "Uncle Vanya."
Though his masterpieces have been regarded as"abstruse," "Uncle Vanya" is a unique piece and relatively easy to understand.
The play currently now on stage at Arko Art Center in Daehangno deals with a wasted life through an exploration of the characters and their respective miserable lives.
The drama revolves around the disruptive relationship between the characters when retired old professor Serebryakov (Lee Jong-gu) and his young second wife Yelena (Lee Ji-ha) move to the family's remote country estate, where Sonya (Kim Ji-sung), his daughter from his first marriage, works tirelessly to keep the estate going with her self-questioning Uncle Vanya (Kim Myung-su).
The couple's arrival upsets everyone's routine, and Vanya and Astrov (Kim Su-hyun), a physician, who is invited to the house to cure the professor's gout, are attracted to Yelena while Sonya and Yelena are charmed by Astrov.
The tragicomedy is set on a simple and minimalist stage with two tables and three chairs and individual partitions for the eight characters.
The eight partitions surrounding the center stage symbolize the severed communication of the characters who are isolated from each other, representing the lonely lives in the modern era. Nevertheless, the play tells us life should go on no matter how bitter and futile it is.
The play is the latest adaptation of a tragicomedy full of pathos based on the realistic portrayals of the bleak characters and the minimal sets, under the directorship of Shim Jae-chan.
"The play's goal is to bring insights into the psyche of human beings on stage to better represent Chekhov's intentions. Above all, we will put more focus on the title character, Vanya," said Shim.
Kim Myung-su gives an expressive performance in the title role as he deridingly complains boredom and poverty and futility of life. His portrayal of a pathetic character shines in the climactic scene in which he vents his pent-up anger against the professor.
Kim Ji-sung performs as Sonya, whose acting style fits with her secret and delicate love for Astrov. She depicts Sonya as dedicated and willing to make sacrifices for the family while hiding her love for the doctor.
Kim Su-hyun displays a commanding acting to portray the self-assertive Astrov who cares about the environment rather than his patients.
The play is on stage at Arko Art Center through Jan. 17. Tickets cost 15,000 to 25,000 won. For more information, call (02) 762-0010.