Uncle Vanya

Anton Chekhov, Anya Reiss

• Publisher: Oberon Books
• Year: 2014
• ISBN:
  9781783196876
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Letteratura
• Subtopic: Teatro britannico

Nothing's new
Everything's old.
I'm exactly the same as ever
Only more lazy
More aimless
More curmudgeonly...'
One of the high points of world drama, Chekhov's bittersweet tale of frustrated lives and unrequited loves - by turns witty, playful, nostalgic and tragic - is captured in all its complexity by Bryony Lavery's spirited, sharply-written adaptation, first produced at Birmingham Rep in 2007.

ACT TWO

Night. Inside.

SEREBRYAKOV is sitting in an armchair with his eyes closed. YELENA sits beside him, she sees he’s sleeping and creeps to close the window.

SEREBRYAKOV: (Without opening his eyes.) Sonya?

YELENA: No

SEREBRYAKOV: (Turns.) Oh, what are you doing?

YELENA: I was trying to –

SEREBRYAKOV: I just had a dream that my left leg wasn’t mine

YELENA: You should sleep

SEREBRYAKOV: Sleep! How can I sleep the pain’s intolerable, it just woke me up. What are you doing?

YELENA: Closing the window

SEREBRYAKOV: Did I ask you to? It’s too hot in here already, feel like I can’t breathe. Can you please come round where I can see you?

YELENA comes round.

SEREBRYAKOV: What time is it?

YELENA: Past two

SEREBRYAKOV: In the morning can –

YELENA: Don’t worry about the morning try to sleep

SEREBRYAKOV: I can’t sleep!

YELENA: You hardly slept last night either

SEREBRYAKOV: In the morning can you look to see if Vanya’s got any David William Cohen essays it’s the kind of thing he’d have

YELENA: What?

SEREBRYAKOV: In the morning, I’m not asking you to do it now, but in the morning can you look to see if Vanya’s got any David William Cohen essays it’s the kind of thing he’d have!

YELENA: Don’t worry about work

SEREBRYAKOV: I think I’ve got gout

YELENA: You promised you wouldn’t go online again

SEREBRYAKOV: It would make sense

YELENA: There’s a doctor downstairs

SEREBRYAKOV: My hands are bad. Look, look they’re swelling up, they’re getting deformed, look aren’t they?

YELENA: No

SEREBRYAKOV: They are. Getting old is disgusting, I disgust myself and you are all disgusted by me

YELENA: No

Beat.

SEREBRYAKOV: You most of all.

Beat.

YELENA: It’s not everyone else’s fault that you’re getting older

SEREBRYAKOV: Is it mine? Is it my fault? I know you wish I’d just hurry up and die, don’t worry I am working on it for you, I know you’re young and beautiful; you want to be free. You married practically a corpse but I’m coming through for you my dear, don’t you –

YELENA: Oh stop stop stop please

SEREBRYAKOV: What?

YELENA: I’m so tired. Just stop it

Beat.

SEREBRYAKOV: Oh you’re tired. That’s my fault too of course. You’re young and trapped and bored and tired, everyone’s young and trapped and bored and tired because of me. I’m the only one enjoying myself, of course

YELENA: You’re driving me crazy

SEREBRYAKOV: I’m driving you crazy of course. I’m driving everyone crazy

YELENA: Oh what do you want me to do?

SEREBRYAKOV: Absolutely nothing my dear

YELENA: Then stop it

Beat.

SEREBRYAKOV: If Vanya or his insufferable mother start up everyone stops and listens quietly, I only have to open my mouth for you to all start moaning. And yes alright maybe I can be a bit self-centred, forgive me. Forgive me that but I think by now I’ve earned it, earned a little respect and the right to a –

YELENA: No one would ever disagree with your right to anything.

Beat.

YELENA: It’s starting to rain so I am going to close that window.

YELENA goes and does so.

SEREBRYAKOV: My whole life I’ve spent learning and writing and researching and teaching. And you become used to it, to that way of life. To respect, to, and I will call it this; admiration, to the kind of places I lived, to the kind of people I was surrounded by. And low and behold, for no reason whatsoever I’m here. In what can only be purgatory. With stupid people. Talking. Constantly. Every single day. And it doesn’t suit me, this doesn’t suit me. What am I meant to do? Every second to spend wanting what I used to have, what I used to be, what we used to have, we had it for a while. And every second just waiting to die and getting more and more frightened of it. It doesn’t suit me, it doesn’t suit me at all

YELENA: Alright

SEREBRYAKOV: And here no one even makes allowances for that. I’m hated for it. I’m ill. I’m old

YELENA: Give it time. I’ll get there too

SONYA enters.

SONYA: This is getting silly, he is sitting down there waiting for you

SEREBRYAKOV: Who now?

SONYA: You know full well the doctor is there, you asked for him yourself, why won’t you see him? You can’t make him come all this way for nothing, it ain’t fair

SEREBRYAKOV: I asked for a doctor not that Astrov fellow, what good is he? He knows as much about medicine as I do about mortgages

SONYA: He’s the only doctor who’d come out here for you

SEREBRYAKOV: I’m not talking to that lunatic

SONYA: (Goes to leave.) Fine, please yourself

SEREBRYAKOV: It’s stifling in here. Wait, wait Sonya give me those drops over there on the table

SONYA: These?

SEREBRYAKOV: Yes, yes

SONYA picks them up and goes to bring it over.

SEREBRYAKOV: (Going to get up.) No not those, for God’s sake will just do it myself

SONYA: (Picking another up.) These then?

SEREBRYAKOV: No no get out of the way

SONYA: I have to be up so early do you have to start like this at me?

VANYA enters.

VANYA: Storm’s a comin’. (Sees SONYA and YELENA.) Oh come on you two now go get some kip, I’ll take this watch

SEREBRYAKOV: Oh God no please he’s just going to talk at me till ...