The Stage

Three Sisters

Published Tuesday 26 January 2010 at 13:30 by Lalayn Baluch

Theatre collective Filter and the Lyric Hammersmith’s artistic director Sean Holmes have reunited to deliver a revival of Chekhov’s dark 1900 drama Three Sisters.

Romola Garai (Masha Prozorov) in Three Sisters at the Lyric, Hammersmith Photo: Tristram Kenton

The play follows the story of the Prozorov family - sisters Olga, Masha and Irina, and their brother Andrei - over the course of four years. Dissatisfied with their lives in a small Russian town, the siblings dream of a happier future in Moscow, however, as the play evolves they reluctantly realise their aspirations will never materialise.

Jon Bauser’s minimal design and Paule Constable’s dark and cold lighting establish a scene of quiet confusion and oppression that seems to echo the feelings and emotions of the characters - the furniture is mismatched, the lights hang down low, and during the initial party scene the one, lonely helium balloon eventually floats away.

Microphones are scattered around the stage to amplify secret conversations, which add an interesting layer to the way in which the audience is given information, however the way they are shuffled around between scenes and the regular appearance of the stage manager during the action is distracting.

The minimalism from the set is carried through into the performances, which is a shame because it leaves the play feeling a little bare and not easy to engage with. Romola Garai’s Masha is unhappy and angry, but too controlled. Where is her passion? Clare Dunne’s Irina is beautiful, fun and full of life, Poppy Miller plays a believably matronly Olga, and Ferdy Robert’s is convincing as the declining Andrei.