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:

4 April 2003

You can tell you’re at a rather unusual production when the star is photographed in the programme advertising designer clothes, which is what the audience is wearing. This Three Sisters should have been a great production; with Michael Blakemore, a renowned Chekhov whiz directing, the adaptation by Christopher Hampton, and completed by an all-star cast that has autograph hunters pacing up and down outside the theatre.

Yet, for all the posturing, something has gone wrong between concept and execution. It’s not that this is a bad production or is badly acted – this cast is too good for that – but this is a Chekhov without soul and, more importantly, without humour: the comedy is very much underplayed.

This is an ill-tempered household, where nerves are snapping like violin strings, and where the family tensions are apparent right from the start. From the outset, Kristin Scott Thomas’s Masha exemplifies the sense of bad feeling, as she shifts cros...

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Latest User Review

USER: Whatsonstage.com (81.135.109.54) - 4 June 2003:

The set was uninspiring with a most unusual backdrop that just didn't fit. The acting was in general excellent but I did notice that the audience were 'resting their eyes' for much of the production - it was warm and the boredom of the play contributed to a lot of sudden nods of the head as they realised they had nodded off! Strong black coffee was available at the bar in the interval and I would recommend you have that instead of alcohol which will only aid sleep. All in all I would say it's for dedicated fans only....

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