State Theatre Company of South Australia/Paper Mouth Theatre Company. 11 Jul 2026
Mary Angley’s vision for Paper Mouth Theatre Company’s take on Chekov’s Uncle Vanya is very much in the spirit animating English playwright Howard Barker’s take on the Russian classic; rip it apart, find something new in it, deliver in a fashion blowing audience’s minds. Brink Productions achieved that in 1997.
Angley’s vision for her production is a ferocious deep dive into things so utterly modern day about the circumstances hapless Vanya and his household endure and their need for comfort. Allied to the idea theatre should provide that comfort too. With, as Angley declares in her Director’s Note, gimmicks. Those videos appearing on the upstage wall. ASMR is in fact Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response, something to soothe, calm.
The wall is in fact a beautiful, shimmering forest created by Fraz The Wizard. Then there’s warm, gentle piano by Dan Thorpe, who plays Telegin. Bianka Kennedy’s set is glorious in its wide, sparse rustic beauty.
The beautiful, gracious, classical style performances segue to moments in which the play’s length is criticised. In fact, Act 2 is wholly excised. This is explained by Angley who plays The Professor. Angley muses on what links the world of Vanya and our time. Muses even why she, the Director, should be in the play. Act 2 gets a quick power point plot summation before we belt into Act 3. Angley Act 2 is a lot of fun actually.
Extra fun is added thanks to a set of six actors as a mini audience sitting on the stage. They’re offered the chance to cut monologues considered too long. This play’s not for keeping if it doesn’t deliver the feels. So, actors swap roles. They love doing the acting they say.
Not content with that, a phrase of serious emotional dialogue suddenly becomes a whip fast rap and dance number choreographed by Felicity Boyd. The great battle between Vanya and the Professor is not what you expected to see.
All this short form content stuff layered over the 1887 text is indeed, so much fun. Yet the innate intent and spirit of Chekov’s text remains completely intact—albeit with a few dents here and there.
A sensational cast delivers the most well formed, beautiful characterisations alongside some hair-raising tumbles and wicked double play; Yoz Mensch,, Lucy Haas, Arran Beattie, Poppy Mee, and Ellen Graham.
Here’s quite an achievement. Take a melancholic Russian classic, inject a solid dose of 21st Century social media/tech content into it. Result, a funny sadness. Weird sense of changing something up, but did it work for you? A question to bug you for days after.
David O’Brien
When: 9 to 18 Jul
Where: AC Arts Main Theatre
Bookings: statetheatrecompany.com.au
