Put together author Anton Chekhov, superb American translator Paul Schmidt who makes Chekhov easy to listen to and understand, and director Andrei Malaev-Babel, who’s an ace at interpreting Russian drama, directing and at teaching the Demidov method of acting. Result: The Three Sisters is a rare treat in performance by students of Asolo/Florida State University’s Conservatory for Actor Training with some alums, faculty, and acclaimed local actors as guests.
Though a major Chekhov play, The Three Sisters is lesser known, perhaps because of its length, but at Asolo/FSU Conservatory there’s not a lag in performance. Why? Performers never let up and five acts are squeezed into two. Action begins on the first anniversary of the death of the heroines’ General father. With him they’d been moved from Moscow to his exile in a provincial town and military outpost.
Olga, oldest sister and a teacher, along with middle sister Masha, who’s not very happily married to teacher Kulygin (Ibukun Omotowa, who shows the character doesn’t understand the situation), are to celebrate youngest sister Irina’s birthday. Their brother Andrey (Jonathan Acosta, good at displaying self-centeredness) is joining them from studying in Moscow. There he’s acquired debts and—as yet unknown to his sisters— mortgaged the house. His marriage is an even greater threat to them. As women of culture and class, the sisters constantly dream of leaving town for Moscow, but only Irina longs to be there just to do good.
On opening night (note cast list) the sisters were played by three very effective Black Americans. They stood out as an Olga ready for greatest authority, a Masha eager for true love and perfection as a pianist, and an admirable Irina. (In future weeks, the three roles will be played by three different actresses.)
Important visitors to the house include four soldiers. Jonathan Epstein, fully justifying his faculty position teaching acting, portrays Cheutykin, an army doctor. He’d loved and wanted to wed the sisters’ mother but found she was already married. He’s just come from years of being drunk, is now sober but is attracted to one of the sisters who seems like his former love. How does that affect him and her?
Second year student Brian Zane is an outstanding Vershinin, an important officer, already married and a father, but easily on the make for Irina. When he’s not fully deceptive about his marriage and kids, he makes a convincing liar regarding her as his only confidante and love.
John Leggett, in his second year at the Conservatory as Baron Tuzenbach, is a wonderful young military doctor, who clashes with recent alumnus Bryan Lewis’ soldier Dolyony. There’s threat of fighting a duel over Masha. When Baron leaves the military early, he hopes for a better life than it has afforded him. Will he have that?
The most significant character affecting the future, principally now for the sisters and soon all in the provincial town whom she will wield power over, is Natasha. Caitlan Rose grows ever stronger as Andrey’s wife and in the character’s unbridled disregard for anything but her own self and two little children. She seems meant by the playwright to indicate how and what kind of people will survive the coming revolution and be ultimately successful.
Townspeople, servants, and musicians deepen the reality of the changing situation. Of particular local note are Don Walker’s fine Ferapont, whose township position is fatally threatened, as is Jenny Aldrich Walker’s perfect old Prozorov Family servant Anfisa. Overall, there are no poorly played roles.
The technical crew nicely recreates the look of the characters and ably handles sound and difficult lighting. Coaching of voices and movement pays off very well. My only concern is with the set. It lacks any scenic metaphor except the big surrounding trees, a metaphor of stasis. Not good for a play that emphasizes change. There is an over-abundance of scenery and props, placed as if they would be if used or ready for filming.
I suspect all was made to emulate a film and help director point out everything that the author mentioned. Thus all that’s literal has been pictured and some of the arrangement of such places as bedrooms and dining room or spaces occupying a furnace or other props are a bit puzzling. They are crowded (like a piano) or unexplained (like where someone is sitting and why). Still, this is understandable in overall undertaking of the play’s difficulties.
Essentially, you’re unlikely to see or hear a better The Three Sisters in English than at FSU/Asolo Conservatory, as directed by Andrei Malaev-Babel.
