'Vanya' review — Andrew Scott captivates in solo Chekhov adaptation
9 / 10
Simon Stephen's adaptation plays up every possible bit of comedy in Vanya — an approach that could make the play hokey in the hands of a less skilled actor — but as the show progresses, the laughs get sparser and more hesitant as the characters reach their breaking points and, perhaps, so does the performer. By the time Scott, as Ivan's innocent niece Sonia, delivers the pensive final monologue, it's as if he's actually stripped all nine characters away and is simply thinking out loud to us.
