Perhaps it’s too much to ask that a production tell a cogent story of a classic play when there’s only one actor playing nine characters and the usual running time has been cut almost in half. In other words, you’d better know your Chekhov before you see Andrew Scott in “Vanya,” which opened Tuesday at the Lucille Lortel Theatre after a run in London.
Simon Stephens’ adaptation here resembles a Cliffs Notes version of “Uncle Vanya” where several pages have been torn out, most of those featuring the title character now gone.
The first half of “Vanya” focuses on the love triangle of heiress Sofia pining away for the doctor Mikhail, who is in love with Alexandr’s young wife, Helena.