Vanya London reviews: Andrew Scott stars in Chekhov classic

Reviews have dropped for Vanya in the West End – what did the critics make of the new production?

Andrew Scott plays every role in a new adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s masterpiece of love, art, sex and attempted murder

Adapted by Simon Stephens and directed by Sam Yates, the production opened in Richmond in August before transferring to London’s West End where it now plays at the Duke Of York’s to 21 October.

Comedic and tragic, Chekhov’s examination of our shared humanity – our hopes, dreams, regrets – is thrust into sharp focus in Vanya . This production explores the kaleidoscope of human emotions, harnessing the power of the intimate bond between actor and audience to delve deeper into the human psyche.

Vanya West End reviews

London Evening Standard – 5/5
“London theatregoers have known for years there’s much more to Andrew Scott than Sherlock’s Moriarty and Fleabag’s hot priest, but this one-man Vanya is a revelation and a sensation. Writer Simon Stephens transposes Chekhov’s tragicomedy to a 20th-century Irish farm: the story and the pathos is preserved, the characters cast in a new light.” – Read the full review

The Stage – 4/5
“This version, adapted by Simon Stephens, directed by Sam Yates and performed and co-created by Andrew Scott, has a next-level, uncanny intimacy: sometimes it almost feels more like a seance than theatre.” – Read the full review

WhatsOnStage – 5/5
“This astonishing version of Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya is a tour-de-force by the actor Andrew Scott in which he takes on eight roles while all the time preserving the perfect balance of comedy and tragedy that makes this the most humane of plays” – Read the full review

The Telegraph – 4/5
“Scott is one of our greatest stage actors, and I am happy to say is on mesmerising form here, creating a whole emotional world for each role, and performances that are discrete enough to make you feel you are watching a quiet battle between the various wretched individuals wasting away on a country estate.” – Read the full review

The Guardian – 3/5
“The actor gives thrillingly virtuoso performances as multiple characters in an entertaining reimagining but he cannot penetrate any one part deeply enough for tragedy to be felt” – Read the full review

The Times – 2/5
“It’s one of the greatest plays ever written. He’s a great actor: the hot priest from Fleabag; Moriarty in Sherlock; a slew of stage triumphs. So what can go wrong when the mighty Andrew Scott stars in a one-man rejig of Chekhov’s 1898 tragicomedy Uncle Vanya? Quite a lot, it turns out.” – Read the full review

Vanya plays Duke Of York’s Theatre, London currently booking through to 21 October 2023.

Book Vanya London tickets here »

The standard performance schedule is Monday-Saturday at 7:30PM with 2:30PM matinees on Wednesdays and Saturdays.