Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya is a perfectly crafted danse macabre, in which a cast of damaged characters totters towards self-discovery. Sam Holcroft’s bold remix does away with half of Chekhov’s eight named roles, in order to magnify our attention to the experiences of the remaining four.

Sonya and her stepmother Yelena hanker after the doctor, Astrov, who is ministering to Sonya’s father, an invalid we never see. Astrov and Sonya’s uncle, Vanya, have designs on Yelena. Unrequited affections flicker, and so do misguided ones. Ideals, philosophies and dreams dilate and then crumple.

The mood is tragic but there are moments of ripe humour and the poignancy is often edged with whimsy. Natalie Abrahami’s direction is exact and the performances are all good — Fiona Button’s Sonya a limpid highlight. Best is Tom Scutt’s ingenious design: a set that initially looks like a giant packing case is switched by the actors into a pleasing array of guises.

However, the play’s moral colour feels too explicit. In particular, Simon Wilson’s Astrov is finally too gross in his hypocrisy and pomposity. Some of the original’s soulfulness has been lost.

In narrowing the drama’s focus Holcroft’s version has also narrowed its emotional compass. But it does offer an intriguing sidelight on Chekhov’s achievement.

Until 26 September (020 7229 0706).