CityLife

Three Sisters

Three Sisters
The Lowry
March 2, 2010

You may already have noticed rising star Romola Garai, who played the role of the older Briony Tallis in the blockbuster movie Atonement. It's to her credit that she then chose to appear as Masha in this touring production of Chekhov's Three Sisters.

Now if the very name Chekhov puts you off  I'd still recommend that you give this production by the Lyric Hammersmith and Filter Theatre a try because of its strikingly original way of looking at the classics. It's certainly the first time I've heard so much laughter in the first act of this play.

Add to that Christopher Hampton's excellent translation and the exuberant performance of a terrific cast and you may even enjoy yourself - although I'm still struggling with pausing the action to watch an electric kettle boil.

This Brechtian alienation technique certainly worked for one audience member who thought it was time for tea and noisily munched her way through the largest rice biscuit I've ever seen.

Poppy Miller, who played Isabella Knightley to Garai's Emma in the BBC adaptation, plays Masha's older sister Olga with Clare Dunne as their youngest sister Irina. For some reason she has an unexplained Irish accent; however, all three are totally believable.

There's also a charismatic performance from John Lightbody as the self-important but nevertheless attractive Vershinin, a regular guest of the Prozorov family.

Destined to live in the country because of their brother's gambling habits the sisters long to return to their beloved Moscow. But complications arise which affect both their relationships and their dreams.

Filter's ethos of paring down sets and sometimes lighting  to a minimum and its use of live and recorded music ranging from Bowie to The Mamas and Papas holds the attention and breathes fresh life into this timeless, bold and totally refreshing staging of the Chekhovian classic.

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