It is very amusing to think that sometimes you just cant see the path, when it is staring to you right in the face. And when someone else shows you the other way, that is not a short cut even, you just begin to say YES! I SEE IT NOW!

This was just the situation that I am in at the moment. I just went in to see my supervisor regarding my Uncle Varick project. Francis told me that my current structure is good, but I have three to four studies and there is no particular conclusion for it. He started feeding me with some key words like LINE OF ARGUMENTS to help me get questions and answer for the project that I am working on. I really am glad to have met him.

I’ve been left in the dark for a wee bit too long.

I am definitely pushing my datelines a week back in order to finish off this project.

Roughly this is my action plan to tackle this project. I have with me print-outs of the Character Drawings for Uncle Varick by John Byrne, and I had been somehow involved with the fittings, worked a bit with the wardrobe team and had done two interviews, one with Byrne himself and one with Mark Thomson, the director. All the info that I had collected would be the data that is to be included for the first part of the study. This then would lead me to the characters in Uncle Varick, and in comparison to Uncle Vanya, how and why they had changed (geographical, period, social status?) and learning about Byrne himself, his style of writing is from his memoirs of when he was young. I guess that all his memories are to shared with others in his writings of plays (namely the Writers Cramp and the Slab Boys Trilogy) and it sparked to me as well, the character Sandy Sheridan, an art critic and TV pundit…. BYRNE WAS WORKING WITH SCOTTISH TV AT ONE TIME!!!! ISN’T THAT SIMILLAR? Or had he (Byrne) was referring to someone he had known in the industry and making a parody out of that character? Or did it reflect himself? WOW! I am quite surprised with myself now! All these questions just pouring out of my fingertips to the keyboard!!!! Ok, back to the original context…hehehe…

The characters of Varick and Vanya, are they just similar? Even through time and at a different geographical space on earth? And how did Byrne translate Vanya and why so (the interpretation had been done in that way) and this would bring to the question of the style and theme of Chekhov’s and Byrne’s writing.

In conclusion, I dare say for the time being, Byrne’s interpretation of the characters in his adaptation of Chekhov’s Vanya somehow reflects his own style rather than doing a ‘traditional’ adaptation style. Byrne had given life and colour to the characters, especially of Varick and Sandy.

Byrne’s past works indicates his past memoirs of his younger days, very down to earth, comical (as himself, witty and probably partly his desire to achieve a few things that he did not at an earlier stage. Varick somehow or other, really reflected on Chekhov’s Vanya, as he is A BIG FAN and he really ADORES Chekhov, but setting it in Northeast of Scotland, in 1964 (he was 24 years old then) and being very familiar with the local topography. Byrne also told me that the Russians are just like the Scottish…a wee bit crazy (while making a finger around the side of the head movement) and thus, Uncle Varick came to life in 1999.


In The Name Of Allah The Gracious and The Merciful. Alhamdulillah, Praise Allah for what He had shown me today. Thank You for showing me the path and the route, also for opening my heart to receive whatever i was to receive from my supervisor today. Ya Allah The Allmighty, praise Muhammad S.A.W,as my mind is very clear at the moment and bless my parents, give them good health, bless my friends in the UK and in Malaysia, help me and my friends find the true path and what You reagard us for. Ya Allah, bless all muslims in the world, keep us away from all harm and bless the rezki that is halal for us. Amin.

now to get on with my work. :)