Anton Chekhov’s masterpiece Uncle Vanya, first published in 1898, is a study of hopelessness. The title character, who has spent his life managing the estate of his brother-in-law, the retired professor Serebryakov, has come to realize that this pompous man was just a middling academic. Meanwhile, Serebryakov’s daughter, Sonya, pines after an alcoholic physician who’s developed a crush on her gorgeous stepmother, as has Vanya. Love is unrequited, murders are thwarted, and lives are wasted. Andrew Scott, best known as the Hot Priest in Fleabag, portrays multiple characters. Sam Yates directs. —Jensen Davis