Written
by Anton Chekhov, directed and adapted by Liz Arday
Reviewed
by Lana Hilton
“Any
idiot can face a crisis. It’s the day-to-day living that wears you out”
–
Anton Chekhov.
This
simple quote was all the information I had about this play; I went in with an
open mind hoping for a dramatic Russian production filled with vivacious humour
and characters that slide around the set slightly drunk.
Although
it was a little funny, and wine and vodka were definitely unnamed actors whose
performance time doubled that of any other, unfortunately this ‘day-to-day
living that wears you out’ also wore me out by the end.
The
play is set in a small provincial town that is definitely not Moscow, as the
country’s capital is all that the siblings talk about- returning to the
hometown they so dearly love. Their recently departed father was in the military
and as a result the three sisters are known by many soldiers, officers and
doctors who roam through the town and into the women’s lives.
Irina (Shaelee Rooke), Masha (Alison McGirr and Olga
(Alixandra Kupcik) are said sisters, who dream of a more fulfilling, exhilarating
life. They yearn for experiences that cannot unfold in the old, decaying manor
in which they live. They are stifled by the house and the town.
The
constant desperation of the youngest sister Irina who wants to work and to find
love and to return to Moscow is reminiscent of the Theatre of the Absurd; she
is waiting, always waiting for more to happen but it never does.
Coupled
with the many scenes where the sisters and their friends take a glass of wine
and ‘philosophise’, I was certain that the themes of the play must be absurdist
and imposed so that we too can see the meaninglessness of our indecipherable lives.
A challenge.
However,
I learned that this play was written in 1900, at least 40 years before the term
‘absurdist’ was coined and expressed in theatre. If I was wrong about the
original concept what else could the play have been about?
The
answer – I have no idea.
There
were 12 characters in this production and numerous instances when all 12 were
on-stage at once. TAP Gallery is a very intimate space and it was overwhelming
when this occurred. Sometimes the minor characters were merely reading a
newspaper in the background. There was too much going on and focus was pulled
from the action, pulled from the meaning of the script.
I
was unsure what time period the play was set as the actors spoke as if from the
late 19th century with their ‘my love’s’ and ‘whatever do you mean’s’
but these sentences were harshly interrupted by constant swearing (namely the
f-word) and in one scene the c-bomb was dropped!
I
felt the costumes and staging were abstract when such language was used, as if
trying to drag a period piece into the modern world by only its vernacular. Oh,
and a scene with a jelly-pink dildo, which I will be very interested to know if
this was in the original script.
Nerves
got the better of some when they spoke over the top of one another or fumbled
their words, and some of the monologues appeared to be delivered just so the
actor could have their moment. The cast lacked energy and a real interaction
with one another. I will point out that it was the opening night so the cause
for nerves can be somewhat excused, but not the energy levels.
The
only character I found myself entranced by and actually listening to was the
idealistic officer Vershinin, played
by Ben Dalton. He understood the acting space and didn’t speak as if projecting
to an entire auditorium, but just to whom he was speaking. He made use of the
cosy theatre and concentrated on the delivery of his words and actions. He was
a joy to watch and listen to.
I
spoke with a couple of other people who were in the same mind about the
production – too long and incomprehensible. Hopefully as the show continues and
the actors slip into their characters it will become more enjoyable.
