There’s something quite magical about seeing a period piece in the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse at Shakespeare’s Globe on the Thames. This is London’s only candlelit theatre and it’s the perfect setting for Anton Chekhov’s classic tale of dreams and despair.
As the play begins, we see the titular sisters, Olga (Michelle Terry), Masha (Shannon Tarbet) and Irina (Ruby Thompson), at home, celebrating Irina’s Saint’s Day. We quickly see that they are a close and happy family, but each one is desperately longing to leave the countryside and return to Moscow. They are searching for something more, even if they don’t quite know what that life would be.
Director Caroline Steinbeis takes a sympathetic view of the Prozorov sisters, choosing to highlight their kindness and humour, along with their frustrations and fears, especially when individual desires come up against duty and family loyalty. The warm, candlelit atmosphere enhances the period ambiance and invites the audience to share the emotionality of the characters. We are there with them, sharing their lives, their hopes and dreams, along with their sadnesses and frustrations.
The dialogue here is easier to follow than in some productions. The company is using a world premiere translation by playwright Rory Mullarkey that opens up the text for new audiences. All that existential angst we associate with Chekhov is still there, but it feels much more accessible and contemporary, and it is clearly a lighter interpretation. This makes it a more naturalistic and timeless production.
Only the pacing seems problematic. The slow pace certainly communicates the feeling that “nothing ever happens here”, and foregrounds the simmering emotional tensions in the family, but it could definitely be a little tighter. Three hours on hard, upright seats feels like a very long time for the audience, no matter how engaging the performance.
The strong ensemble cast each embody their character with real feeling and authenticity. The sisters establish their individual temperaments from the very beginning, so we can share their emotional journeys. They are all excellent, but it is Thompson’s Irina that really enacts the oppressive loss of hopes and dreams and the inevitable sense of resignation.
This is real life, after all. Their parents have died and the sisters, along with their tragic brother Andrei, must make the best of what they have.
Paul Ready is a delight as the unlikely Colonel Vershinin and Peter Wight adds a charming gravitas as Ivan Chebutykin. Natalie Klamar plays up to the role of Natalya, highlighting the contrasts with her sisters-in-law.
The set design by Oli Townsend and candlelight design by Anna Watson are both central to establishing the atmosphere and themes of the play; the costumes too are a delight. And it’s lovely to see the four musicians on stage, including musical director Rob Millett, who really do complement the action. Oliver Vibrans’ score makes a fitting accompaniment to the narrative.
There is always a balance to be found between the essential sadness of Three Sisters and its comedic elements. We need to know and care about these characters to understand and share their ultimate sadness and despair. They may well ask, “Why do we live? Why do we suffer?” but the play offers no easy answers.
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Chekhov himself may have said this work is “gloomier than gloom itself”, but here there’s also warmth and humour, as highlighted in Steinbeis’ elegant direction. The combination of an engaging ensemble cast, a new translation and such an atmospheric setting makes the Three Sisters a very special theatrical experience. Highly recommended.
Three Sisters by Anton Chekhov, translated by Rory Mullarkey
Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, Bankside
Director: Caroline Steinbeis
Assistant Director: Shiv Rabheru
Candlelight Designer: Anna Watson
Costume Supervisor: Laura Rushton
Designer: Oli Townsend
Fight and Intimacy Director: Haruka Kuroda
Voice Coach: Annemette Verspeak
Movement Director and Choreographer: Aline David
Composer: Oliver Vibrans
Musical Director: Rob Millett
Cello: Maddie Cutter
Trumpet/woodwinds: Sarah Field
Violin/domra: Gabriela Opacka-Boccadoro
Translator: Rory Mullarkey
Cast: Michael Abubakar, Kelvin Ade, Rachel Barnwell, Ishia Bennison, Keir Charles, Natalie Klamar, Richard Pyros, Paul Ready, Shannon Tarbet, Michelle Terry, Ruby Thompson, Stuart Thompson, Peter Wight.
Three Sisters will be performed until 19 April 2025.
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