Theatre Review

Chekhov’s ‘Three Sisters’ gets fresh interpretation at Epic Theatre

Don Fowler
Posted 4/24/15

Russian playwright Anton Chekhov is not everyone’s cup of tea. He writes about difficult times in Russia’s history and can be very pedantic and depressing.

Sarah Ruhl has adapted the four-act …

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Theatre Review

Chekhov’s ‘Three Sisters’ gets fresh interpretation at Epic Theatre

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Russian playwright Anton Chekhov is not everyone’s cup of tea. He writes about difficult times in Russia’s history and can be very pedantic and depressing.

Sarah Ruhl has adapted the four-act play, condensing it to two acts and making it more accessible to audiences.

Director Tammy Brown has wisely chosen to concentrate on the relationships among the 14 characters, providing for much interaction in the confines of the small black box theatre at Cranston’s Theatre 82.

“Three Sisters” is a dark play, with some dark Russian humor and characters that are searching for meaning and hope in their lives.

The three sisters are part of an extended academic upper class, each with different personalities, qualities, faults and dreams.

Olga (Stephanie Traversa) is the eldest, a teacher and a spinster. Masha (Hannah Lum) is the middle sister, unhappily married to an annoying husband and involved in an affair with a soldier.

Irina (Mia Rocchio) is the youngest, obsessed with the desire to leave their small village and return to Moscow.

Their brother Andrei (Shawn Fennel) has married Natasha (Melanie Stone), a shy woman who turns into a monster after their baby is born.

The first act centers primarily on getting to know the main characters and their acquaintances who have come to Irina’s birthday party and come in and out of her home and life. At times most of them are on stage and the action gets pretty hectic.

Chekhov can get pretty heavy, but Brown does all in her power to lighten the load and inject some humor to their dismal situation.

There are many subtle and not-so-subtle references to the dreadful Russian political situation, class differences, prejudices and the educational system.

All of this can get a bit tedious, but the large cast does everything in their power to get things moving at a fast pace.

Chekhov’s story plays out like a Russian soap opera when it is not pontification on politics and social issues. If you can stay with it, the second act opens up more and offers a closer look at the characters and their survival techniques in a society that leaves them little to hope for.

The entire cast, too many to name, work very well together, each having their moments, with the three sisters-and one brother-all giving outstanding performances.

I found myself focusing on Hannah Lum’s Masha as she reacts, mostly in disgust and despair, to all that is going on around her.

Chekhov offers little hope for the future, but does leave us in a poignant moment.

If you want to see a difficult play done very well, get over to Theatre 82 at 82 Rolfe St. in Cranston this weekend. Tickets are only $12 and $15. For reservations and more information go online at www.epictheatreri.org.

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