Showing @ King’s Theatre, Edinburgh until Sat 10 May
The ideological theory behind the Yes campaign lies in Scotland’s socialist and predominantly left-voting history. It could lead to a more socially democratic society; a step away from the free-market individualist culture that dominates Westminster. Entrepreneurship and social mobility are related, but they are not the same thing. John Byrne’s adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya examines the human condition and its unfailing ability to find hope and spirit amid chaos, the clashing of cultures and the struggle to build a life.
When Sandy (John Sthal) arrives at the Estate with new wife Elaine (Selina Boyack), things are going to be shaken up, but Varick (Jimmy Chisholm), who runs the house and associated brewing business, isn’t going to let that happen without a fight. Meanwhile: love, lust, jealousy and gout preoccupy the characters. Dramatic irony and wit make light of their tragic existence.
Byrne’s adaptation, set in the Highlands in the swinging 60s, was first performed 10 years ago but remains as relevant today as Checkov’s original. Political and philosophical musings are woven through the characters soliloquies that both curse and celebrate human nature; the text is funny and Byrne’s voice is clear throughout. The scenes are episodic, punctuated by Dave Anderson’s music and the casting brings together a wealth of Scottish talent familiar to stage and screen, each delivering their own subtly nuanced performance. As Varick’s patience and sympathies are tested, he becomes increasingly crabbit, frustrated by the social standing that renders him unsophisticated, inarticulate and unintelligent because he lacks the same entrepreneurial drive of his former brother-in-law, Sandy.
The climax is reached when Varick’s spirit does break and the speech he makes brilliantly expresses the painful plight of the working class against the number crunchers, hastily looking to make bigger profits at their expense. There is an element of social responsibility which both Varick and Byrne drive at: as well as making money, the economy is sustained by the creation and maintaining of the workforce. Capitalism is, after all, about giving everyone a fair shot.