Vanya

“Funny, sexy and surprisingly emotional” The Independent Eryn Jean Norvill (the originating star of The Picture of Dorian Gray ) returns to Sydney Theatre Company in an Olivier Award-winning adaptation of Chekhov’s 1898 tragicomedy, written by Simon Stephens ( The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time ) to be performed by a single actor. Vanya manages the country estate of Alexander, an acclaimed film director with a beautiful younger wife, Helena. Alexander’s daughter Sonia holds a candle for local doctor Michael, but the good doctor loves Helena, and so does Vanya. What follows is the familiar story but with a modern twist – and a healthy sense of mischief amid the pathos. Hailed as “one of the most gifted actors of her generation” ( The Guardian ), Norvill again displays all her virtuoso talent and versatility playing each member of this troubled household – characters whose inability to reach one another is made all the more potent by the actor’s aloneness. Norvill is matched by one of Australia’s greatest stage directors, Marion Potts ( Doubt: A Parable ), who infuses this classic tale of love, loss and yearning with just the right mix of tragedy and comedy, finding "a new way of seeing into the heart of its beauty" ( The New York Times ).