You don’t have to be a Chekhovophile to enjoy Christopher Durang’s riff on everything Anton Chekhov ever wrote, but it helps. This master parodist and satirist has been away from the stage for a couple of seasons, but he’s back with a bang with this right on original work with roots in The Cherry Orchard, The Sea Gull, Uncle Vanya, The Three Sisters, and anything else in the Chekhov canon that Mr. Durang could get his hands on.
All of it is stirred, mixed and shaken so that its tale of 3 siblings who share the fine old house in which they were raised unfolds as naturally as though none had ever heard of Mrs. Chekhov’s little boy, the playwright.
Here we have confirmed old bachelor Vanya (read “gay”) as played by Mr. David Hyde Pierce, one of our finest light comedy players. His hair is now just about a thing of the past, his eyes begin to look a bit world weary, his smile is now reserved for moments of genuine mirth. He can do more with a simple retort, something like “I don’t think so” than most actors can do with a comic monologue, but he always manages to retain his character’s humanity. He would never have been unemployed during Broadway’s golden era of drawing room comedies, and he’s doing pretty well even in these edgier times. He and Christopher Durang are perfectly matched, and he’s a joy to watch.