Andrew Scott Will Reprise His West End 'Vanya' Off-Broadway in 2025
Andrew Scott in "Vanya"
(Photo: Marc Brenner/National Theatre)
American Anglophiles will have multiple reasons to head to New York next spring, as yet another recent smash hit from London’s West End is making its way Stateside. Olivier Award-winning musical Operation Mincemeat is already set for a U.S. transfer next spring. Another recent critically acclaimed production will now join it: Simon Stephens’ (The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time) solo adaptation of Anton Chekov’s Uncle Vanya, which is set to play a strictly limited run Off-Broadway at the Lucille Lortel Theatre.
Andrew Scott (Ripley) garnered critical acclaim for her performance in the rechristened Vanya, a production in which he plays eight separate roles — male, female, young, old — and differentiates between them almost exclusively through changing mannerisms and vocal inflections, with occasional help from a prop or two. The play attracted sold-out crowds in London and won the 2024 Olivier Award for Best Revival. Scott was also nominated for Best Actor, ultimately losing out to Mark Gatiss’ turn in The Motive and the Cue.
The story has been updated to a modern-day setting and trades Russia for Ireland, but the heart of Chekov’s tale of a family tangled up in a web of secrets, desire, and despair remains intact. “I love this masterpiece of a play,” Scott said in a statement. “I love these heartbreaking, hilarious, sexy, characters. I love my colleagues with whom I made this show. I love New York. So, I couldn’t be more thrilled to bring Vanya to the audiences at the Lortel Theatre.”
“We are absolutely thrilled to bring Vanya to New York next spring with the incomparable Andrew Scott making his highly anticipated return to the New York stage,” Wessex Grove producers Benjamin Lowy and Emily Vaughan-Barratt said in a statement. “This production is not just a reimagining of a classic, but a deeply personal and intimate exploration of the human spirit, helmed by one of the finest actors of his generation. Andrew, Simon, Sam, and Rosie have created something so deeply theatrical that is profound, funny, and heartbreaking in equal measure. We had a wonderful time creating this show in London last year, and we are delighted we will be able to share this show with new audiences in New York.”
Scott, Stephens, director Sam Yates, and designer Rosanna Vize are cocreators of the piece, which ran at the Duke of York’s Theatre in London in the Fall of 2023. Both Yates and Vize are back for the Off-Broadway run. The creative team also includes lighting designer James Farncombe, sound designer Dan Balfour, video designer Jack Phelan, movement director Michela Meazza, composer Kelly Moran, and costume designer Natalie Pryce.
Wessex Grove, Gavin Kalin Productions, and Kater Gordon will produce Vanya, which Wagner Johnson Productions will executive produce. The Lucille Lortel Theatre will present it by special arrangement.
Vanya will play an eight-week limited run. Performances begin Tuesday, March 11, 2025, ahead of a Tuesday, March 18 opening night.
