David Cromer plays the title role in Anton Chekhov’s “Uncle Vanya.” (Photo: © Emilio Madrid)
Former Columbia College Chicago Theatre Department student and faculty member David Cromer HDR ’17, recipient of a 2017 Honorary Doctorate of Arts from Columbia College, stars in the title role of Anton Chekhov’s classic drama Uncle Vanya in what is being proclaimed a “hyper-intimate” production in New York City. As previously reported in this blog, the production originally played last June and July. Due to critical acclaim and audience demand, the production reopened August 8 for a limited engagement at Home Studios Inc., a loft space at 873 Broadway (near E. 18th St.) in Manhattan, where it runs through September 3. For tickets, click here.
A rave review in the show business news site TheatreMania calls the show “exceedingly well-acted and painfully tangible” and praises Cromer’s performance as “a master class in the art of the slow build,” adding: “Over the course of the nearly three-hour run, Cromer slowly turns the heat up on Vanya’s simmering rage, reaching a scalding boil at the climatic scene.”
David Cromer
As previously reported in this blog, Cromer won the 2018 Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical for The Band’s Visit. Though best known for directing productions on and off Broadway, in Chicago, and around the U.S., he is also an actor with Broadway credits including The Waverly Gallery (costarring Elaine May and Joan Allen) and A Raisin in the Sun (costarring Denzel Washington, Phylicia Rashad, and Sophie Okenedo). Prior to relocating to New York, Cromer was well known as an actor and director in Chicago, where he won several Joseph Jefferson Awards for directing plays. Cromer studied acting and directing at the Columbia College Theatre Department and later taught and directed shows there.He received an Honorary Doctorate of Arts from Columbia College when he spoke at the college’s 2017 commencement ceremony.
