Luk Perceval - Het Toneelhuis

In 'Oom Wanja' the quiet country life of Wanja and his sister Sonia, is thrown off balance by the arrival of an old professor and his young wife, Jelena. Wanja and doctor Astrov, with whom Sonja is secretly in love, feel passionately about Jelena. After 'De Meeuw' (Blauwe Maandag Compagnie), 'Ivanov' (Het Nationaal Toneel) and 'Kirschgarten' (schauspielhannover), 'Oom Wanja' is Luk Perceval's fourth Chekhov production. The dynamism of his actors is the central element of his approach: none of Russian melancholy, picturesque scenes in the countryside, or attempts to revive the past set before a historically realistic background. The text is a deduction from pure necessity. The narration proceeds to a clear confrontation of the characters who are, above all, just plain lonenly. Chekhov sets their desperate desire for love in a world, which is in essence arrogant and egoistic.