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Filter founders OLiver Dinsdale and Ferdy Roberts - © Elisabeth Blanchet
A daisy in a Smirnoff bottle, a yellow helium balloon and mobile phones: this is Chekhov, but not as we've come to know him. Not surprisingly, since this production is the work of Sean Holmes and Filter, whose previous collaborations have rewired and electrified Shakespeare and Brecht. But while there are instances of intense emotional immediacy here, there are also times when the production feels forced, its quirkiness eye-catching but unrevealing. The stripped-back stage leaves the sufferings and shortcomings of the play's characters painfully exposed. Masha's lip, curling in sadistic spite as Natasha, the vulgar bride of her brother Andrei runs off in tears; Andrei's hurt and humiliation as his sisters taunt him; the sinister violence of Solyony pointing his pistol at Natasha and Andrei's baby in its crib, so shocking and so muted: these have an unforgettable potency. Yet the staging is often diffuse, the relationships dislocated. The performances, Romola Garai's Masha, quietly corroding with despair, and Ferdy Roberts' rumpled, bearish Andrei in particular, impress individually, but don't always connect. The whole is oddly chilly: fractured, yet refreshing.
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I have just directed a (well-received) amateur production down in Frome, Somerset. I adapted a translation available on the internet and I went for a pretty conventional take/set/costumes etc. So I was interested to see this production, having read about it's anarchic, absurdist, expressionist, modern dress and generally 'non Chekhovian' approach. It was a real curate's egg of a show; Irina (who even looked like a Dublin accent) blowing up that balloon = great - use of mikes = just did not work. Andrei patting his bare belly - why not? Boiling kettle? Just plain silly. Excellent Kulygin and other fine performances. I thought the ethos was 'let's not take old Chekhov too seriously', at least in Acts 1&2. I found myself watching the production as an experience, rather than Chekhov's bitter-sweet masterpiece. Good fun, though, and no harm done.
Simon, Steve, Jen and May need to read the play. Which I had not. Until after I had seen this really interesting and passionate production of this play. I was intrigued, but engaged by this beautiful production that was both messy and specific. I loved it and thought that it really spoke to the audience that I was in. Brilliant. Best thing I've seen for ages.
This production is appalling. I totally agree with the comments made by Ben, May and Jen (see below). It is a mystery how Paul Taylor from the Independent, and Charles Spencer from The Telegraph came to award this show four stars; they don't know their arse from their elbow.
What a very entertaining version of Three sisters. This particular translation by Christopher Hampton lent itself very well to The Filter experementation - which appeals to and tickles the senses of the audience. (loved the kettle boiling moment) This adaptation and style allowed for extreme character choices which warmed the heart, In particular Natasha and Kulygin. I don't see the problem with this appproach when the characters, story and plot are authentic and clear - its just theatre told in a different kind of way. Am a big Chekhov fan and really enjoyed this production. Open your minds
i actually enjoyed this massively, have not seen chekhov tackled in such an original way before. got me to hear the text in a totally new light...
I left in the interval. The acting irritated me from start to finish-why do young actors (Garai in particular) think that stuttering through a line makes it truthful-get on with telling the story! Indulgent, gimmicky, disjointed.
This production is entirely bad. It is in all ways uninteresting, despite the misguided attempts to be experimental. Filter squander the opportunities posed by this great play through three hours of bad choices.
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