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An honest take on the challenge of Chekhov
THREE SISTERS
Lion and Unicorn
ACT Provocateur are nothing if not ambitious.
Under artistic director Victor Sobchak and resident director Dumle Kogbara the company has staged a series of difficult plays with commendable casts, and thankfully this production is no exception.
The play, part of the Lion and the Unicorn’s Chekhov season, is about the lives of aristocratic sisters who are originally from Moscow but now live in a provincial backwater. From the outset it lays bare the regrets and yearnings of these women via naturalistic action and a simple script, evoking the decline of the Russian nobility in the late 19th century.
In Act I this sometimes melancholic mood is sweetened by parodies of recognisable characters from Chekhov’s time. We meet middle sister Masha’s nerdy husband Kulygin, foul-smelling brainy upstart Solyony, and world weary doctor Chebutykin. In later acts the play takes a darker turn. The girls’ brother sells their house to repay his debts, forcing them to confront the harsh reality that they will marry not for love but out of duty, and that they will never return to their longed-for Moscow.
The modern costumes are wonderful and help convey a sense of the characters, particularly the vain, whorish Natasha.
As the director says, this play has “sorrows, joys, and frustrations small and large”. While some will no doubt find this heavy going, Three Sisters’ effortless quality makes it easy to enjoy and, far from being a turn-off, the characters’ increasing self-pity makes them all the more believable.
Refreshingly, this is not a play that seeks to trick the audience but one which strives to be as honest as possible. In short, commendable and well worth watching.
Until April 6
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