Review by Greg Gorton
I’m about to say something sacrilegious that might make this entire review invalid: I don’t think Chekhov is a good choice for modern theatre productions.
Yes, he is one of the most influential playwrights of all time, and Stanislavsky’s productions of his work spearheaded the modernist movement in theatre. Yes, there is a brilliant, dark comedy that can be highly appreciated when placed in the right context. For anyone at an undergraduate level or above in theatre studies, he is required reading and viewing. But for the general audience? I don’t think so. And for teenagers who might be experiencing theatre for the first time? Definitely not.
And so creates the conundrum of Theatre Works’ production. For some terribly archaic reason, Three Sisters is on the VCE list, and so it makes easy money for any company willing to put it on. Someone obviously warned director Greg Carroll that these students are meant to leave the show understanding that Three Sisters is a comedy. But in a strangely amateurish move, rather than seek out and highlight the dark and fatalistic ironies in this play, Carroll turned it into a pantomime, asking “how can I turn this line into a joke” with little regard to the meaning or context of each line otherwise.
Don’t get me wrong. There is so much to love about this production of Three Sisters. The most obvious thing being the acting.
The three sisters, Stella Carroll, Joanna Halliday, and Mia Landgren, each have a deep understanding of their respective characters, without turning any of the girls into stereotypes. While the trio are all charismatic, it's the chemistry between the three that make this show great. For me, Stella Carroll stands slightly above the others if only because it is so easy to treat the character of Irina as always a child.
This is not to say that any other actor lets down their part. As enamoured I am by the power of Gabriel Partington’s performances whenever I stumble upon him in shows, he does not overshadow the quiet competency of the other soldiers.
I struggle to properly discuss the other actors, primarily because I smack up against the wall made of intention. I feel quite strongly that any criticism I have of character portrayal in this show should be laid on the director rather than the actor, but perhaps I am wrong… whatever the case, I am confident in saying all were comfortably portraying the characters they attempted to portray.
The set design for Three Sisters is amazing, with the space for the home used efficiently and effectively. With dark woods and cosy blankets, I for a moment forgot the sweltering Melbourne heat and believed I was transported to somewhere that protected me from the outside chills. Of course, this was enhanced by Amelia Carroll’s absolutely phenomenal costume design. While I was not entirely convinced by the set in the final act and did wonder if there was an easier way to go about it, it maintained that atmosphere of a harsh urban world. The music design for this play is as discordant as the interpretation itself, and in this way I think it couldn’t be more appropriate at playing with our expectations.
The problem is that I still can’t get over the direction. Natasha’s character is turned into such a farce that I’m surprised they didn’t paste a wart on Belle Hansen’s nose. Now it must be made clear that every, and I mean every, joke that Hansen made from a line received a laugh from the young audience. But are Natasha’s lines all jokes?
Is Chekhov’s work, which was one of the first great 20th century works to encourage direction using a fourth wall, really suited to having any line over two sentences directed at the audience? And what happens to a VCE student’s external exam when they write about the so-called affair between Olga and Vershinin?
Perhaps I’ve been too harsh. The marketing for this play says that Three Sisters is “reimagined for a contemporary audience in this bold [.] production” While I’m not sure what makes this play contemporary, it certainly is a bold interpretation. If it were not for my concerns about how Chekhov is now seen by our next generation, perhaps I would be more lenient and congratulate it on its ambition?
In the end, I think my best recommendation is this: If you know Chekhov, you should see this play. It is, while being quite disrespectful to the text, an interesting production. However, if you are new to the playwright, or are hoping for something that brings out the comedy already found within, this one isn’t for you.
