I last saw Chekhov’s Three
Sisters with an all-Redgrave cast at the Royal Court in the early nineties
when it impressed as a deeply-theatrical, “classic” drama in every sense.
This new version has been given a potentially controversial
updating by Anya Reiss which shifts the action from disintegrating Tsarist
Russia to a British family marooned in an un-named middle eastern state
(somewhere like Yemen). The family are the son and daughters of a diplomat who
has died leaving them having to fend for themselves whilst all around is in
turmoil. They dream of returning to London but there are few glimpses that
their struggle to survive and stay happy in this once-familiar and now
alienating world will end.
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| Holliday Grainger, Olivia Hallinan and Emily Taafe |
The play retains its powerful existential questioning and
whilst the language has changed, it still feels very Russian: passionate,
intelligent and more than a little sad. The sisters compromise their lives and
love in order to survive whilst their brother marries cheaply, drinks in
self-absorption and gambles their money away online (how decadent do you want).
The brother Andrei is well-played by Thom Tuck – smothered by the expectations of leading his family
and realising his own potential he ducks and only succeeds in becoming ashamed
in a marriage of inconvenience with the domineering Natasha (Emily
Dobbs). His sisters are braver, Olga, superbly played by Olivia
Hallinan, is their compass, coaching them in hope and encouraging pragmatism:
what else would you do? She makes ends meet by teaching, ultimately taking on
the role of headmistress at the local school – trapped in a career poverty
cycle.
Middle sister Masha (Emily Taaffe) is unhappily married to
the willing but hopeless husband who’s cringe-worthy attempts to compensate for
their lost intimacy are to no avail as she has an intense affair with old
family friend, the extremely married Captain Vershinin (a marvellous Paul
McGann).
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| Masha and her dashing Captain |
The youngest, Irina (Holliday Grainger), dreams of finding
true love back in London and is, heart-breakingly, not yet ground down by
tragedy and disappointment… not yet. Olga encourages her to marry a man she
likes but doesn’t love as he offers her the chance of escape. We’re almost won
over by her logic and smiling warmth but is this really the way forward?
In the intimate space of the Southwark Theatre, the action
is amplified with actors mere feet away from the audience – especially if, like
us, you’re brave enough to sit in the front row. It was very moving to see the
performances at such close quarters and I’m sure I wasn’t the only one moved to
tears by the emoting of the three leads.
Hallinan, Taaffe and Grainger rip through their roles with
intelligence and grace. Sometimes you feel you’re intruding on their private
thoughts so convinced are you by their skill. It’s a very human response to the
proximity….
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| Paul McGann, Olivia Hallinan, Emily Taaffe (chair) and Holliday Grainger'(floor) |
Mr McGann also graced the stage with his unique energy, he
even crouched like a soldier at one point: poised for action, focusing himself
on every situation his Vershinin is
described by Reiss as the only truly honest one along with Masha, but you can
see how subtle changes in inflection could reveal a more disingenuous streak
seen in other productions. But we want him to be heroic and proof that deep
love exists in the unlikeliest of circumstances.
Whatever you make of the re-mixed play, it still asks difficult
questions and leaves you thinking for days… theatre on the ground and in the
raw, feet away from people genuinely
feeling their way through a play: you can’t fail to respond, to empathise…
you act and you react. You won’t get this up in the gods on Shaftsbury Avenue!
Thank you cast and crew!
Three Sisters still has a week to go: tickets can be purchased direct from the Playhouse.
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