Uncle Vanya, by Anton Chekhov, is an examination of humor, hope and loss: loss of love, of ambition, of ideals, and of illusions. Vanya and his niece Sonya have toiled for years to keep the family estate going. Sonya’s father, Professor Serebryakov, and his dazzling young wife Yelena return for a visit, and all old resentments explode and secret longings come to light. Though the play is over a hundred years old, Uncle Vanya probes at timeless questions of human nature and reminds us that Chekhov’s understanding of them is as acute as ever.