Three Sisters

Of all his plays, Three Sisters is the only one Chekhov labels a drama. Yet in director Pavol Liska's pared-down version, comedy takes center stage. Set against an enormous plateau of white linoleum tile and a travel poster reading "Moscow: The Place to Be," the self-involved antics of Chekhov's self-fashioned intellectuals take on hilarious absurdity. Liska encourages his capable ensemble to clownishly overplay their emotional outpourings and metaphysical musings. Zachary Oberzan as Vershinin shouts his predictions of a utopian future with gusto, only to drop suddenly back to a depressive haze. Walker Lewis as Andrey, aided by a few choice anachronisms, expresses his boundless disappointment in life by watching pornographic videos while caring for his infant and picking through the trash for uneaten tortilla chips as he engages in conversation with other characters.

photo: Publicity Office

Slavic sob sisters

Details

Classic Stage Company
136 East 13th Street
212.677.4210, ext. 19

Related Content

• New York is Nothing But Green Screen
  November 20, 2011
• Nobel Peace Prize Awarded; Protests in Russia; Hollywood Gunman
  December 10, 2011
• Moscow Cops Find Suicide Bomber's Head in Airport Rubble
  January 24, 2011
• Small Crowd Rallies on Central Park South to Draw Tourist Support on a Horse Carriage Ban
  November 10, 2011
• FROM RUSSIA, WITH LOVE
  January 11, 2012

More About

• Pavol Liska
• Moscow

Were Chekhov simply a brilliant satirist, Liska's adaptation might show signs of genius. But the dramatist's strength lies in coupling comedy with nuanced portrayals of human anguish, and on this count Liska falls short. He does little to distinguish between piercing self-reflection and self-absorbed prattle, and he instructs his actors to holler some of the most wrenching monologues in Western literature. Liska makes us expertly aware of our human foibles, but his adaptation captures little of the vulnerability or beauty of Chekhov's singular drama.