The Three Sisters is considered among one of Chekhov’s most brilliant, but perhaps lesser known plays. The story centres on the Pozorov family of sisters Olga, Masha and Irina and their brother Andrei. With the family leaving Moscow some eleven years prior to the start of the play, and both parents recently deceased, the siblings yearn to be back in their home city, but there’s always something holding them back. The girls make fun of the locals who they see as lacking culture and beneath them, and their sources of excitement come from the military men who are stationed in the town whereas Andrei is enchanted by a local girl, Natasha. As the play progresses, so does the Pozorov’s dissatisfaction and longing for something more.
Each character has a different way of dealing with their uncertainty; when we meet the youngest sister Irina on her 20th birthday, she is jubilant to have discovered the meaning of life is to work, although her enthusiasm for her job at the post office and then the county council quickly wanes as she does not find the meaning she was promised. Victoria Llewellyn successfully portrays this naivete hardening to eventual capitulation as the piece progresses. The soldier Vershinin however, played by Toby Wynn Davies, has a more philosophical refrain. Unhappily married with a wife who repeatedly attempts suicide and starts an affair with Masha, he hopes that the things we do in this life make small changes that will accumulate to overhaul the lives of those in the future.
While this may seem rather depressing, as with life, there are plenty of distractions that pivot away from the more dour moments; servants and lower ranking soldiers provide light relief as does Masha’s ill suited husband (played by Stephen MacNeice) who, even at the most trying times, is ready with a prop or a joke to lighten the mood. Conor Moss as Baron Tuzenbach, whose love for Irena is painfully unrequited, hits the perfect balance between goofy and endearing in his pursuits.
With a large cast of fourteen, densely packed sets and musical interludes, this is a decadent and impressive show from Arrows and Traps Theatre Company, richly evoking 19th century Russian sensibilities. However, the disillusionment and quest for meaning are very modern concerns that feel as relevant today as ever.
“A faithful adaptation of the book executed with a boldness and flair all its own”
I was intrigued to see how a story carved from the expanse of the desolate Bodmin Moor and battered by wild wind and rain could be told in the intimate setting of the Tabard Theatre. The dim, misty lighting and Maira Vazeou’s set design – simple, yet containing the essential elements of the surrounding marshland and stark life – beautifully foreshadow this gothic tale by Daphne du Maurier. Set in the 1820s, it follows young Mary Yellan, recently orphaned, as she arrives at Jamaica Inn to stay with her aunt and uncle. Her headstrong nature embroils her in its sinister secrets and deceptions which she neither wants to discover, nor can resist.
Lisa Evans’ adaptation is impressively close to the novel, keeping much of the original dialogue and drama to maintain the suspense and balance. The small space is used to create a sense of claustrophobia and isolation, leaving the outside to rely more heavily on the imagination. The cast is excellent with an especially spell-binding performance from Helen Bang as Aunt Patience, while Anastasia Revi’s direction grips the attention from beginning to end through the ingenious use of props, movement, sound and character detail.
Kimberley Jarvis as Mary captivates the stage, often in tightly choreographed scenes which recreate the action and texture of the book and there is an effective interplay with her thoughts skilfully woven into the soundscape. The bullying figure of Uncle Joss, played by Toby Wynn-Davies, swings frighteningly from aggression to ominous charm, and Peter Rae portrays an intriguing Frances Davey, the local vicar.
On a technical level, the performance uses imaginative lighting (Ben Jacobs) and slick, original stage management. The sound design is a tour de force and the music, composed by Jonathan Bratoëff, enriches the work with both instrumental passages and songs, though occasionally this detracts from the harshness of the content. It is quite an achievement that only once does the space hinder the dramatic impact of the play, at the story’s denouement following a powerful build-up of tension. In addition, the short interaction between Mary and Mrs Bassat could have been a more engaging contrast to the surrounding urgency had Phoebe Hyder’s role been better defined.
Truly enjoyable and befitting the long, dark winter evenings, this production of Jamaica Inn blends fine acting with artistic allure and technical mastery. A faithful adaptation of the book executed with a boldness and flair all its own.
