THIS IS THE PLAY WITHOUT A TITLE (The Far Away Plays)****

 

By Dave

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23fpdOl28lk 

Available until: Unknown

We’ve known about The Far Away Plays for a while but this is only the second time we’ve actually watched one. I doubt it will be the last. Judging from the standard of this play, we’ve missed some really great performances.

This version of This is the Play Without a Title was written by Simon Harris but it’s actually based on a play by Anton Chekhov. Chekhov didn’t much like it, it was never performed in his lifetime and he thought it had been destroyed but his sister had hidden it. After Chekhov’s death the play was rediscovered and performed. The work was untitled but an article in the Sydney Theatre magazine suggests it might have originally been called Fatherlessness, and it has been presented under many titles including A Long Play Without a Title, Chekhov’s First Play, Platonov, which is the name of the character at the centre of it all, and rather more confusingly, Wild Honey in an adaptation by Michael Frayn. Chekhov’s other works include A Story Without a Title so maybe that influenced the sort of title this play is usually given.

UNCLE VANYA (Harold Pinter Theatre/iPlayer)****

 

By Cal 

Link: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m000qplz/uncle-vanya 

Available until: 30^th September 2021

It’s only fair to say that if you’re familiar with Uncle Vanya, this play won’t be quite what you’re expecting.

It follows the story. It even follows the text very closely. I don’t know any of this play off by heart, but I occasionally had a look at the text to see how closely it was being followed and other than a few cuts, it seems as though they are mainly following the text. The gist of what they’re saying is the same as the gist of what’s in my translation of the play.

THE BEAR (International Actors Ensemble/Circle in the Sand/Alex Theatre)*****

 

By Cal

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwhmGdjPKTk

Available until: Unknown

At just over thirty-three minutes long, The Bear is much shorter than most of the International Actors Ensemble’s projects, but it is no less brilliant. Anton Chekhov is known for his miserable plays, which tend to feature a fair amount of crying and dying, but this one is absolutely hilarious.