UNCLE VANYA

"Which is better?" I am asked. "Absolutely incomparable. Totally different and each one wonderful." I reply.

Sydney Theatre Company & SoHo Rep. staged Chekov's "Uncle Vanya" (you can Wikipedia the play here). It was a Cate Blanchett sandwich with Michael Shannon in the middle. With each performance I found myself so much closer to this story, literally. First performance was at NY City Center in the last row of the Orchestra right next to the sound booth. Second show in an incredibly intimate space seating maybe 60 people and the audience sat around the performers. The final performance, I returned to NY City Center in the 2nd row, Center Orchestra.

I knew nothing of the play going in to show #1, which is such a fun way to see a performance. You get so caught up in the story with the actors. It's tragic, but they do it so hilariously. You laugh and then realize what you're laughing at and begin to tear up. Ben Brantley's review in the Times puts it pretty well...

"Are these bleak portraits of hope-starved lives meant to be farce or tragedy? Mr. Ascher’s version says, as persuasively and organically as any production I know, that the answer is both. Life is a tragedy because it’s so farcical. And like many of the characters onstage you may find yourself making noises that could mean you are laughing or crying. And you realize just how fine a line there is between the responses."

There is a reason that man is the top theatre critic and I am not... eloquence.

Anyway, the second show was an adaptation by Annie Baker starring Michael Shannon as the doctor. I heard the words of this play so much more clearly. Not that the Sydney Company was difficult to hear or understand, but the stillness and pace of this show crystallized the text so beautifully. At the time, I remember a few key discrepancies in the adaptations with the dialogue that changed a few moments. I'd love to read each play side-by-side to compare the two.

The final performance from second row center orchestra felt like flying. My friend described the feeling after as though we'd had a massage. I LOVE sitting as close as possible and getting to watch the actor's eyes. I read a review saying, "(this show) is like watching 6 prize fighters duke it out on stage". So true! Absolutely stellar performances from every single person that stepped on that stage. Of course, Cate Blanchett was luminous and hard to look away from except that each character was so watchable, you're drawn to them as well. I'm still high from the show, so I have no words of criticism at this moment. If I come up with something, I probably won't add it. This was written in pure bliss!

End of the Rainbow

Astonishing! Brilliant! Mesmerizing! Heartbreaking! Hilarious! Endless Energy! Spunky! And Tragic!

Tracey Bennett... there are not enough adjectives to describe this performance. The Judy Garland I know is Dorothy in "The Wizard of Oz". And the writer's were counting on that being the case with most people because they save "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" as the closing song.

I was flooded with memories of watching that movie as a young girl at my Grandmother's house and before I knew it, tears poured and I didn't care to wipe them away. Throughout the duration of the iconic song, my mind was flooded with sweet memories that spilled down my cheeks.

The slow moving show had little action with decent supporting characters, but she could've been on stage alone and I'd have stayed the full 2 1/2 hours! Not to say anything against the rest of the cast, because a leading lady stands taller by those who lift her up, but it was her show!

I'm so so grateful that whenever I'm feeling low, uninspired, defeated... I can grab a $30 ticket to another world that brings me back to what I love! Cheesy? Yes, but go see some theatre and you'll know what I'm talking about!