Alla Shenderova / inbox.ru

Uncle Vanya and the Wood Demon connected in Vilnius

2009-06-22

Uncle Vanya enters the room carrying a rose bouquet, and blunders on Yelena in the arms of Astrov: instantly aged and slouched, he continues to sit with the bouquet (a bright spot in the gray background of the stage) until Serebryakov announces his plans to sell the estate, which basically means that all the inmates will be kicked out in the street. Before trying to shoot the professor, irate Uncle Vanya destroys the bouquet of flowers and the stage becomes covered by patches of yellow and red petals.

During the last act, he sits speechless on the dimmed stage, surrounded by torn roses. And somewhere on the same stage, in the strips of bright light, there is Sonya busy with her chores, doctor Astrov looking for the bottle of morphine snatched by Uncle Vanya, and Serebryakov offering to make peace. Yet, the darkness surrounding Uncle Vanya becomes more and more opaque. These final scenes of the play, almost mute, mostly expressed by symbols, appear to be the most incisive.