Anton Chekhov

Lyubov Ranevskaya's family is riddled with debt and is forced to sell their land to Lopakhin, a crude businessman who intends to build a housing development in what was once the family's cherry orchard.

Anthony Hopkins's directorial debut (adapted from Anton Chekov's play "Uncle Vanya") follows Ieuan Davies (Hopkins), a turn-of-the-century gentleman living on a South Wales country estate. When the manor's insufferable owner (Leslie Phillips) arrives for the summer, Ieuan falls for the man's lovely but self-seeking wife (Kate Burton). Also infected by her beauty is the town doctor (Gawn Grainger) -- to the dismay of Ieuan's niece (Rhian Morgan).

Wallace Shawn and Julianne Moore head an extraordinary ensemble cast in a striking adaptation of Chekhov's drama of people trapped between reality and longing. When an elderly retired professor and his beautiful young wife return to the country estate left to the family by the professor's deceased first wife, they find themselves surrounded by other family members. Quickly, the estate becomes a hothouse of unspoken passions, jealousies and regrets. Based on David Mamet's adaptation of Chekhov's "Uncle Vanya."

Vanya On 42nd Street. New York actors rehearse Chekhov's 'Uncle Vanya' in a rundown theater.