Whether you know much about Chekhov or not, Anton’s Uncles still has something for you. This is a remixed version of the playwright’s Uncle Vanya, although that’s not to say there aren’t plenty of references to his other works. An aficionado of late-nineteenth century Russian literature will appreciate the in-jokes, the swift references, and as a result you’ll probably find that different parts of the audience laugh at different points during this delightfully comical show.Theatre Movement Bazaar’s ‘remix’, then, is presented as a physical theatre piece. The set is built at the beginning of the production before our eyes, but sadly after the first fifteen minutes you’re likely to have seen the majority of movements that are going to be employed. What seemed to be a stunning way of presenting physical theatre and making it accessible quickly becomes tired and slightly gratuitous, and sadly doesn’t develop. I can only watch actors do a spin for seemingly no reason so many times.That’s not to say that there aren’t moments of sheer brilliance. Props are used very well (especially a carpet to spin one actor in a circle), and there is a lot of comedy here. All the characters are strong, the actors performing confidently and passionately. What this company have done is made Chekhov something easy to enjoy and understand. There are moments when I wished the story would move on - there is also only so much scene-change dancing one can take - but all in all this is a pleasant enough production
