Three Sisters, LSESU Drama Society
★★★
By Syed Zaid Ali
Staging classic works such as Anton Chekhov’s Three Sisters is no easy task. Standing on the shoulders of over a century of productions, a director today will be hard-pressed to tell the story in a way that is not only unique, but also develops our understanding of the play. Facing this challenge, the most recent LSESU Drama Society production sees director Hila Davies placing our characters in the here and now.
A sense of claustrophobia is fostered on the small stage of the Old Theatre in the Old Building, which is filled with closely-arranged sofas and chairs. Throw blankets are strewn haphazardly across them, selling the fact that the play opens in a flat share that is “painfully reminiscent of student-living”, as Davies puts it. The present day setting is further cemented through a variety of methods: prop newspapers with headlines detailing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, mentions of lockdown, characters scrolling through Twitter, and so on.
Despite its radically different setting to the original, this production retains most of the plot and characters as written by Chekhov. As such, the direction they took with this play makes sense, thematically speaking – in a time of such great uncertainty, the despair experienced by some of the characters often struck a chord within me. However, some features of the play do not translate as well to this modern setting – for instance, the duel between Solyony (Victor Destang) and Tuzenbach (Ollie Scrivens) seems a little dated when contrasted against discussions of the Metaverse.
The entire cast deserves praise for their efforts in putting on this production. The sisters, of course, play their roles well. The weariness with which Harriet Shaw plays Olga clearly underscores her character’s responsibilities as the eldest. Soryoung Han’s depiction of Masha’s melancholy was measured, and her interactions with the equally as impressive Fabian Jones kept me engaged throughout. Jones’ portrayal of the “lovesick Major” Vershinin was successful, as he convincingly depicts the older gentleman’s calm and collected demeanour all while assuredly presenting several philosophical monologues. Though, I believe Nadja Lovadinov’s turn as Irina was the most impressive; the scene in which her character breaks down, lamenting her work and the fleeting nature of life, was a standout moment.
Three Sisters remains as one of Chekhov’s most complex works, with a multitude of character relationships to keep track of. This production could have benefited from taking more time with establishing and elucidating these relationships, which I had trouble keeping track of throughout the first half. This might have also been a result of pacing issues. Some scenes went by a tad too quickly, leaving little room for the words to sink in.
Regardless of these minor faults, this was yet another successful production by Drama Soc. The greatest boon of setting it in the present is that it reminds us of the timelessness of the great works of the stage. As we question the purpose of this life we are given, Chekhov reminds us to keep going. After all, as the titular sisters tell us, “We must live, we must live…”
