In 1899, the second of Anton Chekov’s four great plays premiered at the Moscow Art Theater. Set in the late 19th century, the drama centers on the beleaguered and ill Professor Serebryakov and his younger wife, Yelena, who move to their rural Russian estate, which is managed by Serebryakov’s brother-in-law, Ivan, known as Uncle Vanya. The country doctor Astrov is called. Serebryakov’s daughter, Sonya, becomes infatuated with the doctor, who himself becomes infatuated with Yelena. Meanwhile, Uncle Vanya grows increasingly resentful of Serebryakov and attempts to shoot him. He fails. Life goes on. As Astrov says, life is “boring, stupid, sordid.” A new adaptation of the play written by Heidi Schreck and directed by Lila Neugebauer heads to Lincoln Center Theater. Steve Carrell, in his Broadway debut, stars as Uncle Vanya. —Jensen Davis