Not a rewrite of the original Chekhov; instead, Durang takes names and ideas and applies them to modern day characters who are in some ways eerily similar to their Chekhovian namesakes. In a world that is moving ever faster, Vanya and Sonia are going nowhere, and are feeling the strain of a life passed by, while Masha lives life to the fullest. Their lives all come back together when Masha decides to drop in for a visit - and some bad news. Hilarious at times, but missing the boat at other key moments, it is still an interesting, well written play. In spite of that, I find myself taking it through the process of play development, and seeing all the things that would never pass muster in a script if Durang was not a "name". I suspect as a playwriting teacher, he would not let his students get away with some of the excess verbiage and exposition that makes this piece a bit too laden down to get a full four stars. Having seen it before I read it, I found that the voices in the play tended to mingle with the voices of the performers who had created the roles onstage. Is that good? Bad? I don't know. I think it can never be a bad thing in reading fiction to have the characters come to life for you. ( )

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