VANYA ON 42ND STREET

New York City, 42nd Street. In the hurly-burly of colourful Times Square Louis Malle, theatre director André Gregory, and a handful of actors meet at a Hot-Dog stand. They chat, joke, and finally go to the New Amsterdam Theatre around the corner. For decades, the formerly famous theatre building has been deserted, forgotten by its owners, decaying. It is here that Gregory and his troupe of actors rehearse Čechov’s Uncle Vanya. The play is about a professor by the name of Serebrjakow, who moves to his late wife’s farm together with his young wife Jelena. Vanya, the brother of Serebrjakow’s first wife, manages the farm together with his daughter Sonja. Once, Vanya and Serebrjakow had mutual respect for each other. But now Vanya has to realize that his admired brother-in-law is a tyrannical egoist. He despises Serebrjakow’s empty talk and looks through the tristesse in his marriage with the much younger Jelena. When Serebrjakow demands that the farm shall be sold to invest the proceeds in stocks and shares, the situation gets out of hand. Vanya sees Sonja deceived for her heritage. A bitter argument between the men ensues – finally two shots are fired...