The terrible beauty of Anton Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya is how it deeply reveals the cause of human unhappiness. To quote the Buddha, suffering comes from attachment and the inability to accept what is. Each of the main four characters in The Pearl Theatre Company’s production of Uncle Vanya embodies this suffering in droves, longing for what could have been or what might perhaps be.

Life was simple for Vanya and his niece Sonya as they tended to the country estate. Get up early, work hard all day, go to bed, do it all again the next day. But when retired Professor Serebriakov arrives with his beautiful young second wife, Yelena, and Dr. Astrov comes over to tend to the Professor’s gout, schedules go awry. Late nights, aimless days, secret and not-so-secret attractions, and lots of vodka create the perfect breeding ground for discovering desires and uncovering regrets. Despair reigns and happiness is elusive except to servants and impoverished neighbors, the only ones who seem to possess the secret formula for happiness: Marina, played with pluck and warmth by Robin Leslie Brown, puts her trust in God, and Waffles, so named for his pockmarked face, finds peace in a sort of moral resignation. Brad Heberlee is delightfully truthful and compelling in this small role.

The roles of Vanya, Sonya, Yelena and Astrov are challenging and require a deeply personal connection to the character as well as superb use of the actor’s imagination and craft to create life in late 19th century Russia. The acting among these lead roles is unfortunately uneven, which at times creates a lack of believability, but Chris Mixon as Vanya does give us a moving performance of a man in the throes of despair for an unlived life. His unravelling in the second act combines intense morbid humor with the anguish of hopelessness. Dominic Cuskern gives Professor Serebriakov just the right amount of self-inflated importance that narcissistic people possess. Dr. Astrov’s beautiful monologue about the importance of trees and preserving the environment is filled with vulnerability and passion by actor Bradford Cover.

Scenic designer Jason Simms and lighting designer Seth Reiser create a stifling summer house in the Russian countryside, with gorgeous backdrop projections of trees and sheer curtains used to define space. They make us feel the hot breezes that bring no relief. Scenes are woven together with lush music evocative of Mother Russia. At times, I wished the translation by Paul Schmidt would have taken more cues from the music of the late Romantic period infusing the dialogue with more lyricism and poetry. Hal Brooks, the Pearl Theatre Company’s Artistic Director, uses the wide stage well and shapes small poignant moments between characters throughout the play. Uncle Vanya shows us human beings struggling with their unhappy hearts and that hope endures.

Uncle Vanya continues its run at The Pearl through October 12. For more information and tickets, visit https://www.pearltheatre.org/