Film Vanya on 42nd Street
By Kit Macdonald
Two Hollywood treasures in Wallace Shawn (as Uncle Vanya) and Julianne Moore (as Yelena) lead this fabulous 1994 oddity from Louis Malle, which is entirely set inside the dilapidated New Amsterdam Theatre in New York City as a group of actors rehearse David Mamet’s English translation of Anton Chekhov's 1899 play. In stark contrast to conventional cinematic adaptations of stage works, this version does away with elaborate set designs and costumes and instead emphasises the actors' raw performances, and the material's emotional depth.
Aso featuring a cast of acclaimed New York stage actors, Madhur Jaffrey and the theatre director Andre Gregory playing himself, Vanya on 42nd Street creates an immersive, meta-theatrical experience, with the actors seamlessly transitioning from rehearsal into their characters.