UNCLE VANYA: Scenes from a Country Life in Four Acts

Uncle Vanya is frustrated. He's getting older and wonders if he’s done anything meaningful with his life.

 

As a young man, Vanya gave his inheritance to his sister and her husband, the famous professor Alexander Serabryakov, so they could buy a country estate with a working farm. Vanya sacrificed his own ambitions to support his brother-in-law’s work, by running the farm and sending its profits to the professor in the city, even after his sister died. He hoped the professor’s work would change the world, or at least provide some meaningful contribution to humankind.

 

Vanya lives on the country estate with his mom, Mama Voinitski, his niece Sonia, her old nanny Marina, and her godfather Waffles. Their only visitors are Astrov, a doctor, and Yefim, a neighbor kid who does odd jobs for them. 

 

The play begins after the professor, who’s too broke to stay in the city, moves back to the country estate with his beautiful second wife, Elena. According to Vanya, the professor isn't writing anything worth reading and certainly isn’t changing the world. But Mama worships the professor and seems disappointed with Vanya.

 

Vanya is infatuated with the professor’s wife, Elena. When he drunkenly shares his regrets with her, she's creeped out. Meanwhile, his niece Sonia falls in love with Astrov, the doctor. But Astrov’s in love with Elena too, and he kisses her! Vanya witnesses the kiss and Elena begs him to help her and the professor leave ASAP.

 

The professor announces that he wants to sell the country estate, because he's running out of money and hates living in the country. Vanya gets so angry at the professor that he tries to shoot him - twice! He misses both times. In his desperation, he steals morphine from Astrov to kill himself. But Sonia convinces him that unhappiness is no reason to take his own life. 

 

In the end, Elena and the professor leave. Sonia and Vanya go back to running the farm together. Sonia assures Vanya that no matter how unhappy they are now, they will be rewarded in the afterlife.