Chekhov’s Three Sisters, the warm, despondent story of Masha, Irina and Olga, aristocratic sisters who must weather the cruel exigencies that come with time and attachment, may be his most popular, drama. Such gravitas. Such bliss. Such yearning. From the first time we hear Irina express her longing to return to their idyllic lives in Moscow, we sense it will never happen. These three may belong to the privileged class, but they are also the soul of erudition, kindness and often, spontaneity. Chekhov manages to capture that light, fleeting, feminine quality of sparkling joy that women express in the company of each other. I’ve often wondered, if Chekhov wrote the character of Natasha (their brother Andre’s wife) to demonstrate the distinction between cache’ and arrogance. Genuine character is rare but anyone can be a snot. We see Irina, Masha and Olga through times of contentment and despair, exhilaration and disappointment.
Chekhov has written numerous characters for Three Sisters, creating a cosmos of various classes of wealth, servitude, intelligence and dispositions. Soldiers, servants, peasants, teachers. Blue collar, white collar, no collar. We see celebration and catastrophe, abundance and devastation. What makes this narrative so vibrant is the searching, urgent dialogue in which visionary political and philosophical ideas are explored. The dialogue is somewhat lofty, yet sharp and genuine. It’s plainspoken, but the characters are gazing at the stars. Even if they don’t know it. We may be in the parlor of women who always lived with servants and rarely cooked for themselves, yet we can identify with their struggles, set among Chekhov’s orchestra of tremulous souls.
When a young handsome soldier (who barely knows her) proposes to sweet, whimsical, Irina, we wonder if she really wishes to refuse. We wonder how Masha can stay with a husband she despises for so long. Yes, of course, Three Sisters is also a political, social and historical allegory referencing the class struggle in Russia, but it’s so much more. It’s introspective and rich with ideas, yet also infinitely recognizable. Intoxicating in its love of broken, feverish humanity.
Director Katherine Owens has managed this adept, versatile, engaged cast with a masterful eye for knowing where each character needs to be, and what they should be doing. A keen sense of their purpose and behavior. We in the audience often feel we’re in the midst of a five ring circus. The party scene with avid music and impulsive kisses and acrobatic dances quickens your pulse and tickles your spirit. The lovely, cold, white birches are an inspired notion. They are poetic, but isolated, encroaching and vaguely destitute. This new translation by Sarah Ruhl enhances accessibility, though I’ve got to wonder if Chekhov ever heard of the “pull my finger” trick? This will be my fourth time to enjoy Three Sisters, but I need to add that Undermain’s production is a glorious, sublime, intuitive spectacle that rises above the rest.
Standouts in this astonishing cast include: Ashlee Elizabeth Bashore, Jenny Ledel, Shannon Kearns, Joannna Schellenberg, Justin Duncan, T. A. Taylor Dean Wray, Chris Messersmith and David Meglino.
Undermain Theatre presents Three Sisters, playing February 7th -March 11th, 3200 Main Street, Dallas, Texas 75226. 214-747-5515. www.undermain.org