National Theatre Live: Vanya

To enjoy this version of Uncle Vanya, two conditions are essential:

• to be familiar with Anton Chekhov play;
• to be familiar with Andrew Scott manner to build his characters - his Hamlet can be useful prepair -.

Because , at first sight, it is a provocative version- one actor plays all the characters . The manner to do that is not real surprising - the accent on humor sides of each character was present in other adaptations. And Mr. Scott knows to use each nuance in fair - precise manner, fair reminding the play itself and its versions.

But, obvious, it is only an experiment, perfect for Andrew Scott who use, in brilliant way, entire liberty offered by lines , meanings of words and context.

Iloved the final of play, maybe little strident in this case but beautiful crafted.

So, no doubts, Andrew Scott deserves his Vanya and this play is the precious pledge for it.

If you've never seen Uncle Vanya, this is not the adaptation you want to know the play by Anton Checkov: it won't give you any idea of what the original is about.

Andrew Scott plays all the characters. A bold move, but that's not the problem. He is an actor good enough to try it. His farcical adaptation is the problem. All the characters are defaced by an endless sequence of childish, pointless jokes and mannerisms, like a 5th grader mocking his teachers and aunties, making them caricatures of the originals.

He tries to catch up with tragic ethos of the play in the end, with the final monologue by Sonia, but then it's too late: all empathy one could have for her, her uncle, or anyone else in the play was already destroyed before.

What is more enraging is that this failure is not due to acting incompetence. It would be understandable if it was. But no, I really believe Andrew would be capable of pulling this off, with a different, I'd say even opposite, approach. What a great opportunity was lost here!

If you never saw Uncle Vanya and wants to be introduced to Checkov's classic by a movie, try 'August'. It's an adaptation by Anthony Hopkins set in his native Wales, which he stars, directs, and also wrote the soundtrack for.

Andrew Scott is earth-shattering in this extraordinary performance of Vanya, seamlessly morphing from one character to the next, until the only character in the play becomes an amalgam of all of the human tragedy and pain and anger and despair, in a myriad of embodiments. This is a performance like none I have ever seen. Every character becomes just a facet of a single creature, a hybrid of Vanya, and Sonya, and Alexander and all the rest. Andrew Scott is merciless in high-jacking your attention, and your emotions, your entire being, and submerging you inside this extraordinary Chekov tragedy. Andre Scott's acting is a gift for anyone taking the trouble to see.

Took a while for me to care. In the beginning they were all boring, unpleasant, pathetic or vile. The only good thing about it was Andrew Scott's performance and the occasional humour. Which is what makes it a four star to be honest.

I don't remember much of Uncle Vanya, if anything, but I remember I felt so sorry for him. This play brings everything closer to modern day and the characters feel diminished and much less worthy.

Anyway, I liked the last half hour, when I could actually connect to and feel for some of these people. But truly the high marks are for the performance. I don't know if this gimmick was really needed and I might have empathized more if I had individual actors for the other roles.

I've never seen anything like this before: Andrew Scott plays every role in an adaptation of Chekhov's Uncle Vanya and delivers an astonishing performance. One quickly becomes accustomed to the conceit of one actor utilising a multiplicity of gestures, inflections, body language and mannerisms to depict different characters; Scott's exceptional skills in carrying this off have to be seen to be fully appreciated.

The adaptation of Chekhov's material is expertly devised and although there are many, many laughs in this production, what really strikes home is the deep emotional intensity of the performance. Scott is in tears at several points and it is both heartbreaking and exhilarating to witness.

Anyone who has the slightest interest in the theatre should make it a point to catch this film. Wonderfully filmed, with expressive and thoughtful camera work, it is an undiluted triumph for all concerned.