Three Sisters

Synopsis

Stranded in a remote provincial town, three sisters dream of returning to the Moscow of their youth. When a military garrison arrives nearby,the officers become their guests and suddenly a new life seems to be within reach. Liaisons develop, love is in the air and hopes run high - but the sisters reckon without the weakness of their brother, the grasping ambitions of his wife, and the strange eccentricities of a certain lieutenant. An explosion is brewing and matters come to a head on a frantic night of fire.

Our Review:

12 February 2002

The Orange Tree is hosting an adventurous and indeed intriguing project over the next few months. Chekhov's classic Three Sisters is being presented in tandem with Reza De Wet's newly minted sequel Three Sisters Two, which looks at the lives of these Russian siblings from the vantage point of 25 years later.

Such a scheme has inherent novelty appeal, and many will surely want to see if De Wet can capture the flavour of the original. Unfortunately, on this occasion, the work of the South African playwright hasn't got much to live up to as this production of Three Sisters does little justice to Chekhov at his best. This is a playwright whose subtle grasp of the fine line between laughter and pathos demands acting of the highest calibre if it's to be properly realised. Without such nuance, much is lost. That's exactly what happens here.

Chekhov himself apparently viewed this play in comic terms because none of its ...

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Latest User Review

USER: Whatsonstage.com - 18 February 2002:

After seeing the production myself and after reading fantastic reviews in most of the National Press, I was shocked to come across your review on the website. Had I read it before seeing the show it probably would have put me off going which would have been a great loss as I particularly enjoyed it. I do feel that British theatre should be given support and encouragement and your review seemed to be very distructive. ...

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