Uncle Vanya tender, sweet as a caress…. You've had no joy in your life; but wait, Uncle Vanya, wait…. We shall rest." Although the play had previous small runs in provincial theatres in 1898, its metropolitan première took place on at the Moscow Art Theatre. Constantin Stanislavski played the role of Astrov while Chekhov's future wife Olga Knipper played Yelena. The initial reviews were favourable yet pointed to defects in both the play and the acting. As the staging and the acting improved over successive performances, however, and as "the public understood better its inner meaning and nuances of feeling," the reviews
Andrew Upton Andrew Upton Andrew Upton (born 1 February 1966) is an Australian playwright, screenwriter, and director. He is the husband of Academy Award-winning actress Cate Blanchett. As a playwright, Upton created adaptations of "Hedda Gabler", "The Cherry Orchard", "Cyrano de Bergerac", "Don Juan" (with Marion Potts), "Uncle Vanya", "The Maids", "Children of the Sun" and "Platonov" for the Sydney Theatre Company (STC) and Maxim Gorky's "The Philistines" for London's Royal National Theatre. His original play "Riflemind", with Hugo Weaving as an ageing rock star planning a comeback tour, opened at the STC on 5 October 2007 to favourable reviews. "Riflemind" opened