Save this article to read it later.
Find this story in your accountsSaved for Latersection.
Thats all I need.
Whered you come from?
says Ivan the first time Liam speaks.
Oh, Ive been here the whole time, replies Liam guilelessly.
Its that simple confession by Ivan: I just want you to look at me.
Then, with a flick, he leaves us in the dark.
Im so old now Ive started to disgust myself …
I want my old life back.
The… the success.
And the… attention.
Meanwhile, Alexanders daughter Sonya yearns for one glance from the doctor, Michael.
Ive loved him for six years, she confesses to the beautiful, aloof Helena.
Even the dogs know I love him … he doesnt even see me!
And what of the most desperate among them?
Ive wasted my life.
The things I could have done, and I just didnt.
Im talented … Im intelligent.
Im brave … What should I do?
You wont forget me.
Its usually a defining feature of Vanyas his reckless, bathetic declarations of devotion as she bats him away.
Youre my life, my happiness, my youth!
says Vanya in a popular American translation.
All I want is to see you, hear your voice…
But Stephens inverts the sentiment:See youbecomessee me, and the choice is a potent one.
Ivan, like an unwatered plant or like a lonely actor, longs for the life-giving gift of attention.
Vanyais at the Lucille Lortel Theatre through May 11.
