Three Sisters - Almeida

[Steve]

Ha ha, I was at the matinee as well, and would also give this 4 stars, though in my view, the Benedict Andrews one was better.

Of course, Katie Mitchell's "Three Sisters" was much slower than this, running more than half an hour longer.

I think the reason this one FEELS slow is the decision is to stylistically wallow in absolute fatalism, which choice I loved. I've never seen such a bleak "Three Sisters!"

Some spoilers follow. . .

I mean, sometimes you can find a Chekhov version's essence in song choices. Benedict Andrews opted for a raging "Smells like Teen Spirit," which Nirvana song reflected the raging nihilistic escapism sought by Vanessa Kirby's stinging Masha. Meanwhile, that Anya Reiss Southwark "Three Sisters" opted for a karaoke singalong to Pulp's "Common People," which ultimately made that version all about the rage of descending in societal status, as the Sisters taunted an uber-common Aussie Phoenix of a Natasha.

Here, we get one of the most miserable songs ever written, Jackson Browne's "These Days," performed by Nico, I think, which refrain is ultimate despair: "I've been losing so long."

Every scene here is an exercise in losing. These sisters do not rage, but rather are resigned to misery. I love this choice, as ultimately life is always about losing, and everybody loses in the end.

These three sisters are so morose, with Pearl Chanda's emo-black outfit reflecting an emo-black deadpan; Patsy Ferran constantly trying to civilise her misery by pretending it's palatable, and Ria Zmitrowicz demonstrating her youth by showing a tiny bit of raging against the dying of her light, but ultimately burying her head in a big grey sack that makes her look like a rock.

Indeed, she is the spitting image of a stalagmite, and this version presents every character as stalagmites, with relentless misery dripping onto the existence of every listless dying character. The worst of them all is Freddie Meredith's almost static Andrey, slumped on the shelf against the Almeida's cavernous brick wall becoming part of the stonework.

This "Three Sisters" is about life as dying, and as a consequence, it's too truthful to be any fun.

Wonderful performances from the Sisters as well as Peter McDonald as a Vershinin who speaks his dreams of a vital future in whispers because he doesn't really believe it.

All in all, I like this one for its clarity of vision, as well as its memorable performances, but many will dislike it for being such a downer.

4 stars.

[Deleted]

Apr 12, 2019 8:30:35 GMT MrBunbury said:

Apr 11, 2019 17:02:07 GMT nash16 said:

Haha, no they were replying to a comment I'd made as we thought she looked the youngest (she's so slight of frame and tiny) compared to the two others, yet is meant to be the older one, left on the shelf.

(Actually we shouldn't talk about shelves...what on earth is the Andrey-then-Natasha shelf all about?  Anyone got any ideas?)

It's a very odd production...

The shelf might represent being emotionally apart from what is happening (which applies for Andrey and later for Natasha, who does not sympathise with the sisters).

It symbolised, to me, who was in control of the household. First Andrey but, as he lost money and respect, replaced by Natasha. 

I think Steve is spot on, it’s very much a study in depression and, as is often the case, that is often displayed with a mordant humour (very Sarah Kane, in a way). Matt Trueman’s ‘Variety’ review also picks up on that, as well as the musicality of Frecknall’s direction.

variety.com/2019/legit/reviews/three-sisters-review-almeida-theatre-1203193642/

[kathryn]

This production did such a good job at conveying a sense of boredom and despair and longing to leave to me that I escaped at the interval this afternoon. Simply couldn’t bear to sit through more of it.

I really do need to put Chekov on the *do not book* list.

[nash16]

Apr 27, 2019 15:43:03 GMT kathryn said:

This production did such a good job at conveying a sense of boredom and despair and longing to leave to me that I escaped at the interval this afternoon. Simply couldn’t bear to sit through more of it.

I really do need to put Chekov on the *do not book* list.

It's a bad attempt at Chekhov though, this one, Kathryn.

Frecknall has missed it completely and got trapped in thinking time and long pauses equates" Chekhovian".

Well done for escaping.

Can I recommend maybe one more try when the Maly Theatre come to the Vaudeville in June? They are incredible and aren't indulgent like Frecknall has allowed, but alert and alive.

This Almeida one is just a complete misfire.

[kathryn]

I have seen a number of Chekov productions now - I’ve already sworn off seeing any more Cherry Orchards! I think the only one I’ve actually *really* enjoyed was the Donmar West End Ivanov.

I think he just doesn’t work for me.

[Deleted]

Apr 27, 2019 16:05:44 GMT kathryn said:

I have seen a number of Chekov productions now - I’ve already sworn off seeing any more Cherry Orchards! I think the only one I’ve actually *really* enjoyed was the Donmar West End Ivanov.

I think he just doesn’t work for me.

Tangental, but I too have sworn off Cherry Orchards HOWEVER a friend of mine was in one recently and I spent a week having a moral dilemma over it before eventually wussing out. When I then saw him and confessed, he turned around and said 'Oh I wasn't in it on Saturday when you would have come anyway'

Reader, had I sat through Cherry Orchard only for him to not be on, he would not have lived to tell the tale. 

[tmesis]

I too was going to pass on this and Chekhov in general (definitely too many Orchards and Vanyas) but I've not seen quite so many Sisters and I really enjoyed this, slow pace and everything. The excellent cast kept me engrossed throughout.

[kathryn]

No, Row J behind a pillar, next to the guy who decided to come despite having the lurgy and had some form of sneezing/coughing fit, which you may have noticed.
Bet I catch it too now, just in time for my trip to New York next week.

A desire to get away from his germs was definitely a factor in my scarpering at the interval!

[peggs]

I missed you again @theatremonkey?! And kathryn? Was out with @latecomers. Presumably neither of you were the person who removed their boots and held their row up whilst they struggled to put them back on?

[kathryn]

Damn it, if I’d known all you lot were there I’d have at least stuck around for a chat at the interval!

[sweets7]

Saw the matinee yesterday. There was a couple beside me who made such a fuss with their coats before settling. They were self aware enough to apologise though. Thr then talked about how many versions they had seen of the play and left at the interval. So I negative from them then but great for me because I had space. I didn't think much of the Almedia to be honest.

Liked the play. First version I have seen but read the play. Olga is so unremittingly good but as Maggie Smith would say Masha is the better part. Thought it was brilliantly acted. Like it.

[Latecomer]

I remarked that peggs and theatremonkey are at too many performances together for sheer coincidence ....peggs suggested she may BE theatremonkey and is just pretending she isn’t.....I chuckled.... but maybe it is a double or triple bluff? I may have been watching too many spy thrillers!

I quite liked this, without being wowed. I think if you update things you have to go modern on everything and the dialogue in this felt stilted and unnatural...plus there were moments where things like Chair-ography or scene changes were more interesting than the rest and that surely should not be the case. Wasn’t bored and quite liked all the women though.

Followed up matinee by going to Shakespeare in The Abbey and had fun tracking Mark Ryalnce down and dancing to Happy by Pharrell Williams with peggs at the end....surreal.

[Deleted]

Just returned a £20 stalls ticket for this Saturday's matinee if anyone's interested - up on the Almeida site!

[crowblack]

I've just returned a £10 stalls ticket , J11, restricted view but central on the evening with the post-show talk which is nearly sold out.

[bordeaux]

Had been wondering whether to return my £10 behind a pillar stalls seat but was very glad I didn't. I really enjoyed it, thought the acting superb and direction clear; I'd worried there might be too much intervention and was relieved there wasn't. I'd booked purely on strength of the Frecknall-Ferran combo, was disappointed to read the respectful but underwhelming reviews. It was ages since I'd seen it. I saw the Cheek by Jowl Russian one in 2007 and have no real memory of it at all, but still have good memories of the Jonathan Miller/Harriet Walter/Deborah Findley/Stella Gonet/Brian Cox one at the RSC in about 1989 and the Adrian Noble/Cusack sisters one at the Royal Court shortly after that (and less good memories of the Robert Sturua/Redgraves one at around the same time). It's good to see lots of young unfamiliar young actors one wants immediately to see again in something else.

[david]

Thoroughly enjoyed tonight’s performance. The combination of Pearl Chanda, Pasty Ferran and Ria Zmitrowicz as the 3 sisters worked really well, though personally I found the performances of Chanda and Zmitrowicz more entertaining simply because of the mix of humour, sarcasm as well as the more tragic elements of the characters compared to Ferran’s Olga.

Interestingly, we’ve moved on from a lot of on stage pianos in summer and smoke to plenty of chairs. I was half expecting a game of musical chairs during the performance during the musical interludes, but alas that was not to happen. Though the choreography of the chair moving during Act 1 was impressive enough I just wished we had a bit more of it. Pace wise, I had no issues with it and it kept me engaged for the entire play,

Tonally, I really thought that it was a bit strange. Act 1 seemingly played for laughs whilst Act 2 is more serious. I felt this was a bit reminiscent of the Roman play at the Gielgud a which had a similar style. I did notice a few empty seats at the start of Act 2 so maybe the Act 1 style put a few people off to see the end, though I did think that it paid off and was worth sticking around for. Though it wasn’t a full house tonight.

Comparing this to Frecknall’s other Almeida directorial offering of Summer and Smoke, I think of those 2 pieces, S and S was the better piece overall for me even though stylistically she took the same staging approach of having a bare bones set for both, I think it was Patsy Ferran who made that play, whereas in 3 sisters, it was the other 2 actresses that had the better roles for me.

[mallardo]

At the interval of The Three Sisters last night a man seated next to us who knew nothing of the play asked my wife and I to give him a clue as to what he had just seen. He was baffled. Why? I think because the resetting of the piece into an anonymous no-time with updated and heavily rearranged dialogue had robbed it of its context. All this strange talk of work as the way forward to a shining future makes little sense unless one sees the whole thing as a portrait of intense social change. 1850, when it's set, is only two years on from the Europe-wide upheavals of 1848. Things would never be the same. The sisters, landed gentry, understand that they can no longer be bystanders but must actively participate in the society to come - yet they still yearn nostalgically for an idle past in Moscow. They are not the future. That distinction belongs to the representative of the class below them, the odious Natasha.

The deep longing that suffuses the play is about the very real clash of values these people are trying to come to terms with. But Rebecca Frecknall's production - in the name of relevance, presumably - muddies the waters to the extent that, like the man next to us, those who do not already know the play are left behind.

Fortunately, The Three Sisters is strong enough to overcome the improvements imposed upon it. It maintains its power no matter what, especially with a cast as superb as this one is, right down the line. Still, as one sat there admiring the actors, it felt more like watching a master class in how to penetrate to the heart of ones character than a coherently realized take on the play.

[lynette]

Yes brilliant acting ( Oscar for the under blanket acting) but why remove the context so much in the beginning? With such good actors and updated script a solid set would I think have been better. But I actually enjoyed this. Slow at the end. Maybe a few cuts... bloomin’ geese.

[bgarde]

I love the play and I liked Summer and Smoke but couldn't fully appreciate this production. In terms of the acting, I felt that the choices made for Masha and especially Irina lessened the impact that the characters had. Patsy Ferran gave it the psychological depth that the others lacked but of course she is there much less. And I love Nico but didn't need the song or the photos on the wall.

[foxa]

I saw this last week - and rated it highly. I was a little hesitant about booking because, although I like the play, the last production I saw a few years back was a bit of a car crash deconstruction. However, I found Frecknall's stripping back of this elegant and beautiful and I liked Cordelia Lynn's version of the script. There were some lovely performances. Ferran, of course: there is one bit where she is turning around looking at two other characters, saying nothing and you can see all her thoughts playing across her face - curiosity, envy, embarrassment and eventually the determination to speak. Truthful and compelling in everything she does. But I also liked Elliot Levey's performance as Masha's husband, Lois Chimimba as Natasha and Freddie Meredith as Andrey. My friend was a little more critical of it than I was - but I was grateful that it reminded me what a beautiful play it is.

[Jan]

May 29, 2019 19:04:53 GMT foxa said:

I saw this last week - and rated it highly. I was a little hesitant about booking because, although I like the play, the last production I saw a few years back was a bit of a car crash deconstruction. However, I found Frecknall's stripping back of this elegant and beautiful and I liked Cordelia Lynn's version of the script. There were some lovely performances. Ferran, of course: there is one bit where she is turning around looking at two other characters, saying nothing and you can see all her thoughts playing across her face - curiosity, envy, embarrassment and eventually the determination to speak. Truthful and compelling in everything she does. But I also liked Elliot Levey's performance as Masha's husband, Lois Chimimba as Natasha and Freddie Meredith as Andrey. My friend was a little more critical of it than I was - but I was grateful that it reminded me what a beautiful play it is.

Agree. Elliot Levey the best thing in it for me.

[crowblack]

May 29, 2019 19:04:53 GMT foxa said:

I saw this last week - and rated it highly.

I wish I'd held off and seen this later in the run - I saw it in previews and found it excruciatingly slow.

[crowblack]

Btw, Whats On Stage has an Almeida backstage tour on its instagram stories right now. Tardis.

[foxa]

I don't follow Whatonstage on instagram - I'll check it out.

[learfan]

Saw the matinee today, uneven i thought. Surprised not to see a full house. Some good performances by Chanda and Chimimba. Not sure what the actress playing Irina was doing. Three stars. Paapa Esiudu was sat in front, sadly left his cap on throughout!