Saw this at the Royal Exchange last week - have to say it was the first time i'd seen anything by Chekhov, never read any of his work either.

Wonderful performances put in by all 3 sisters and the dreadful Natasha, gives mothers a bad name everywhere! Such perceptive writing as well, felt quite moved at times. And some brilliant laugh-out-loud lines as well. Not quite what I was expecting.

It was long though - most plays at the RE have you in at 7.30 and out by 10 - this went on until 11ish and we had to rush back for the babysitter.

Anyone read any of his work?

Casey I know my sister, who lives up your way, has tickets to see this. I saw it last year in Russian, performed by a company called Cheek by Jowl and I was absolutely bowled over it. It was sur-titled - I don't know a word of Russian - but after about five minutes I forgot I was watching something in Russia I was so engrossed. One of the actresses plays Betty in the Russian version of Ugly Betty and is a big star on Russian TV, apparently!

You're right - it is funny! Apparently the Russians have a completely different view of Chekhov than we do. It's only here that we treat him with such reverence.

It's years since I've been to the Royal Exchange. Last time was donkeys' years ago when I saw Helen Mirren and Bob Hoskins in The Duchess of Malfi. Hoskins had had a fall and played the entire part on crutches, brilliantly waving them about like props he'd been used to acting with for years!

I saw a production of this years (years!) ago with the Cusack sisters, Sinead, Sorcha and Niamh playing the sisters.

I've seen a lot of Chekhov's plays and I'm still not sure how I feel about him. I enjoy them well enough as they go along - and yes, they are brilliantly funny at times - but I find them kind of rambling, and all full of the same thwarted characters. I tend to remember very little about them afterwards and find it hard to distinguish one from another.

When I saw Uncle Vanya again recently I was also struck by how difficult it was to understand on its own terms when watching it from a modern, secular perspective. Sonya, the main character, makes this big speech at the end which basically amounts to 'life is shit and then you die' - but dying is the big payoff for her, because then it's all trumpets and angels, and St Peter rolling out the red carpet. It's all predicated on a belief in God and an afterlife, and in the absence of that she just seems deluded and masochistic. I still found it moving, but not in the way intended - more because I felt 'oh, poor thing, she really thinks that's going to happen', and meanwhile she's throwing away the life she's got.

Jem, that's amazing! Says a lot about the writing that you can get absorbed without understanding a word!

The Royal Exchange is wonderful, isn't it, my fave all time theatre, it is so intimate.

funnily enough, Clodagh, a new young member of the Cusack family starred in this, and she was excellent. In fact all the actors were, tears on cue etc etc.
Uncle Vanya sounds interesting - i would definitely see a Chekhov play again.

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