Two big-budget Korean productions are set to square off on stage this May with different takes on Anton Chekhov’s play commonly known as “Uncle Vanya.” The National Theater Company of Korea will present “Vanya Ajae,” while LG Arts Center will stage “Uncle Vanya,” sharing the same source material but signaling contrasting perspectives even in their titles.
According to the theater industry on April 10, both organizations will mount their productions in venues with more than 1,000 seats, a rare head-to-head matchup for large-scale theater. Some dates overlap: “Vanya Ajae” runs May 22-31, and “Uncle Vanya” runs May 7-31.
In “Vanya Ajae,” Cho Seong-ha plays Vanya and Shim Eun-kyung plays Sonya. In “Uncle Vanya,” Lee Seo-jin plays Vanya and Go Ah-sung plays Sonya.
The split between calling the character “ajae” — a colloquial Korean term for a middle-aged man — and “uncle” has drawn attention. A National Theater Company official said that while examples may exist in small theaters or university productions, using “ajae” in the title for a major professional stage is effectively a first.
The two directors say they saw different familiar faces in Vanya. “Vanya Ajae” director Jo Kwang-hwa, born in 1965, said he saw himself. “Uncle Vanya” director Son Sang-gyu, born in 1977, said he saw his father, suggesting a subtle difference in viewpoint.
Jo said he once preferred works driven by solemn, lofty ideas and disliked Chekhov’s focus on ordinary people. As he grew older, he said, Chekhov’s everyday life began to feel like his own story, and Vanya brought to mind “the men around us now.” He said even the seemingly shabby neighborhood “ajae” once had a time filled with passion. From that perspective, he said, he put “ajae” front and center so audiences could relate without barriers and find comfort, translating the original’s mood into a Korean context.
Son said Vanya reminded him of a father who grumbles yet quietly fulfills responsibilities before finally erupting in anger. He said that image also informed the casting of Lee, whose on-screen persona includes complaining while still carrying through on what he is tasked to do.
At a recent production presentation, Son said, “My father worked late and retired. Because he had to support the family, he used to say, ‘I’ve never even been able to take a trip.’” He added, “Who can carelessly judge that kind of life?” Son said “Uncle Vanya” portrays someone who regrets not doing what he wanted and suffers humiliation, but asked who could dare say the character lived wrongly. He said he wondered whether people, like trees accepted as they are, might at least be more generous about their own lives.
Son said he focused on the relationship between Uncle Vanya and his niece Sonya and chose “uncle” rather than a more generic term for “middle-aged man.” An LG Arts Center official said there was no special intent, noting the original title is “Uncle Vanya,” but added that because the uncle-niece relationship is central to the plot, Son also concentrated on that dynamic. The official said the production would emphasize universality while offering a modern, minimalist mise-en-scene.
Some in the theater world are also framing the pairing as a contest between experience and a fresh approach. Jo is known as a veteran director who has worked across musicals and plays and has led large productions. Son, by contrast, is a newer director who debuted with the 2024 play “The Lives of Others,” and “Uncle Vanya” will be his first production in a large theater. Observers expect his freer perspective and new interpretation to add a different texture to the classic.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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