Uncle Vanya

BY ANTON CHEKHOV
ADAPTED BY CONOR MCPHERSON
DIRECTED BY SIMON GODWIN
A CO-PRODUCTION WITH SHAKESPEARE THEATRE COMPANY
PEET’S THEATRE

FEB 14–MAR 23, 2025

Transcendent…Is it too early to say Hugh Bonneville in Uncle Vanya is the show of the year? Every moment in the show has the complexity of fine wine: contrasts to parse, hidden notes to unearth.

San Francisco Chronicle

Sad and funny, simple and profound, intimate and epic. It’s no wonder the singular word to describe such contradictions is ‘Chekhovian’…Bonneville is especially adept at getting laughs from the simplest of lines.

Chad Jones’ Theater Dogs

A breath of fresh air…heartbreaking, and entirely universal and sympathetic…The tragicomedy plays out wonderfully under the direction of Shakespeare Theatre Company Artistic Director Simon Godwin and the star performances of Bonneville and Hickey.

BroadwayWorld

A classic play with a modernity tone and message and truly a must-see for Bay Area audiences.

Theatre Eddys

A perfectly balanced blend of environmental issues and the despair of facing a life not well spent, this Vanya provokes laughter that comes from a deep recognition of the eternal comedy of the human condition.

Local News Matters

When the distinguished elderly proprietor of a rural estate returns with a new, young wife, chaos erupts. Tensions run high, marriages reach their limits, confessions — and vodka — flow freely, and weapons are drawn. Hugh Bonneville (Downton Abbey, Paddington) plays Uncle Vanya in this heartbreaking comedy about the eternal battle between futility and change.

Production information

Runtime: Two hours and 30 minutes including one 15-minute intermission

Stage effects advisory: Haze, flashing lights, gunshots, and glass breaking

Content advisory: Violence and gunshots

Cast
(in order of appearance)

Kina Kantor | Ensemble

Nancy Robinette | Marína Timoféevna

John Benjamin Hickey | Mikhaíl Ástrov

Sharon Lockwood | Maríya Voinítsky

Hugh Bonneville | Iván Voinítsky

Tom Nelis | Aleksándr Serébryakov

Craig Wallace | Ílya Ílyich Telégin

Melanie Field | Sófya Aleksándrovna

Ito Aghayere | Eléna Andréevna

Understudies

Anne Darragh | Maríya Voinítsky, Marína Timoféevna

Kina Kantor | Eléna Andréevna, Sófya Aleksándrovna

James Whalen | Iván Voinítsky, Mikhaíl Ástrov, Ensemble

John Leslie Wolfe | Aleksándr Serébryakov, Ílya Ílyich Telégin

Creative team

Anton Chekhov | Playwright

Conor McPherson | Adaptor

Simon Godwin | Director

Robert Brill | Scenic Design

Susan Hilferty | Co-Costume Design

Heather C. Freedman | Co-Costume Design

Jen Shriever | Lighting Design

Darron L. West | Sound Design

Satellite Wigs, Inc. | Wig Design

Danielle O’Dea | Fight and Intimacy Consultant

Danica Rodriguez | Casting

Karina Fox | Casting

Elisa Guthertz | Stage Manager

Christina Hogan | Assistant Stage Manager

The actors and stage managers employed in this production are members of Actors’ Equity Association, the union of professional stage actors and stage managers in the United States