Adding depth to characters by subtracting plot

The Los Angeles-based Theater Movement Bazaar stages Anton's Uncles in Beijing and Shanghai. By singing, dancing and fighting, actors discuss their attitudes toward middle age, struggles and longing. Photos provided to China Daily

Kronis and Alger previously produced Chekhov's Three Sisters with just the women. So they were interested in doing a companion piece - Chekhov's Uncle Vanya - with just the men. There are the manager of the family estate Vanya, who's middle-aged, unmarried and filled with regret; the local doctor Astrov, who's unmarried, middle-aged and a big dreamer; the neighbor Waffles; and a professor, who's the widower to Vanya's sister.

"Mid-life crisis is core in the show," Kronis says.

"It's a feeling that one is no longer in one's prime and that time has slipped by, leaving one's dreams unfulfilled. At this stage, the individual feels pressed to show his vitality and typically comes across as a fool."

By removing elements of the original play's narrative and characters within, they examine and expand on the men and their yearning.

"It seems to be a universal theme that everyone struggles with their hopes, dreams and desires at one point in their lives," Kronis says, referring to the audiences' enthusiastic response to the world tour. They've continued refining and changing the show to keep it fresh.