Vanya on d Street (42n) Movie Review

If you wanted to send away for My Dinner with Andre action figures when you saw Waiting for Guffman, you'll probably find Vanya on 42nd Street an equally rewarding experience. Louis Malle's swan song shows a 1993 rehearsal at New York's New Amsterdam theatre of Anton Chekhov's Uncle Vanya, adapted by David Mamet. Wallace Shawn acquits himself admirably in the title role, Julianne Moore is Yelena, Brooke Smith is Sonya, Larry Pine is Dr. Astrov, George Gaynes is Serybryakov, Lynn Cohen is Maman, Phoebe Brand is Nanny, Jerry Mayer is Waffles, Madhur Jaffrey is Mrs. Chao, and Andre Gregory appears as himself. (Phoebe Brand was a member of the influential Group Theatre, appearing in 1933's Men in White with Margaret Barker, Elia Kazan, Alexander Kirkland, and Sanford Meisner; in 1935's Awake and Sing with Luther and Stella Adler, Roman Bohnen, J. Edward Bromberg, Morris Carnovsky, Art Smith, John Garfield, and Meisner; in Weep for the Virgins with Marie Hunt, Tony Kraber, Paula Miller, Ruth Nelson, William Nicholas, Dorothy Patten, Hilda Reis, Virginia Stevens, Eunice Stoddard, Mildred Van Dorn, Evelyn Varden, Barker, Bromberg, Kirkland, Smith, and Garfield; in 1936's The Case of Clyde Griffiths with Barker and Kirkland; and in 1937's Golden Boy with Luther Adler, Harry Bratsburg, Lee J. Cobb, Bert Conway, Charles Crisp, Howard da Silva, Frances Farmer, Michael Gordon, Robert Lewis, Karl Malden, Charles Niemeyer, John O'Malley, Martin Ritt, Bohnen, Carnovsky, Kazan, and Garfield. If the list sounds like a Who's Who of 1930s stage legends, it IS; what a wealth of theatrical lore this durable stage actress must have!)

1994 (PG) 119m/C Wallace Shawn, Julianne Moore, Brooke Smith, Larry Pine, George Gaynes, Lynn Cohen, Madhur Jaffrey, Phoebe Brand, Jerry Mayer, Andre Gregory; D: Louis Malle; W: Andre Gregory, David Mamet; C: Declan Quinn; M: Joshua Redman. Nominations: Independent Spirit Awards ‘95: Best Supporting Actor (Pine), Best Supporting Actress (Smith). VHS, LV