Chekhov's masterpiece is showing at the MK Theatre from Wednesday (through to Saturday March 29), and a palpable sense of 'what might have been' fills the air for the characters that inhabit a country estate in a small Russian village.

The tale succeeds at being both darkly comic and deeply touching as it uncovers the desperate longing, unrequited love and bitter frustrations that surface when an ageing professor returns home with his young wife.

And the probing piece – with exploration of love, desire and loss at the core – has a stellar cast to do it justice with Neil Pearson (Drop The Dead Donkey to The Booze Cruise) and Ronald Pickup (Zulu Dawn to Holby City) leading.

Nicholas le Provost was due to take the title role but having fallen and suffered a broken leg in a recent performance his place goes to Mark Extance.

So you've a stern cast, but you've also got the best of the best when it comes to the directorial role – Sir Peter Hall, our country's most distinguished director of plays, films and operas, is at the helm of this production for English Touring Theatre.

ETT have a local thread too – Rachel Tackey is their director, a role that she has recently adopted having relinquished her position as chief executive for Milton Keynes Theatre.

"I went to the rehearsal space to watch the last run-through – I think that's the best bit of my job because you are in such a small room with only half a dozen other people, it's very intimate and you feel incredibly privileged," she recalls.

"You're watching the stifling frustration of this family environment and you can really feel it – it's palpable. You also suddenly recognise and relate to the situations so it becomes surprisingly funny.

"What I really love about Uncle Vanya, which essentially goes back to the core of what I want to do at ETT, is that it is absolutely engaging on an emotional level. It is also phenomenally beautiful and wonderfully written. You can't help but connect with it."

Make the connection for yourself. Tickets are on sale, priced between £10 and £24, and performances are 7.30pm nightly, with additional matinee showings on Wednesday and Saturday at 2.30pm.

A STAGETEXT captioned performance is confirmed for Thursday at 2.30pm. Call with booking requirements on 0870 060 6652.