Vanya on 42nd Street (1994)

Cast Phoebe Brand (Nanny), Lynn Cohen (Maman), George Gaynes (Serybryakov), Jerry Mayer (Waffles), Julianne Moore (Yelena), Larry Pine (Dr. Astrov), Brooke Smith (Sonya), Wallace Shawn (Vanya), Andre Gregory (himself), Madhur Jaffrey (Mrs. Chao)

Over the course of three years, director Andre Gregory and a group of actors came together on a voluntary basis in order to better understand Chekhov's work through performance workshops. Staged and filmed entirely within the vacant shell of the then-abandoned Amsterdam Theater on 42nd Street in New York City, they enacted the play rehearsal style on a bare stage with the actors in street clothes. Free from any commercial demands, their performances were for an invited audience only. Gregory and Malle decided to document the play as they had developed it. The film was the result of the collaborative process.

Vanya 42ème Rue se déroule pendant les répétitions de la pièce de Tchekhov 'Oncle Vania', dans un théâtre new yorkais désaffecté, le New Amsterdam Theatre. L'ambiance est décontractée au sein du groupe d'acteurs qu'observe le metteur en scene, tandis que se déroule la triste histoire de ce regisseur amoureux de la femme de son patron.