Chekhov's Three Sisters at ART

(Disclaimer: My husband is in this show.)

Just when I was satisfied with the excellent work of the ladies in NWCTC'S Richard II, I had to go and spoil my bliss with the tremendously charming Three Sisters at ART. A typical Chekhovian piece about the landed gentry's inability to find happiness in their emotionally and physically indulgent lives, Three Sisters focuses on--who else?--three sisters struggling for personal emancipation in a claustrophobic society crowded by suitors and soldiers and dead-end jobs. The youngest, Irina, imbues the far-off city of Moscow with all of the romance and possibility lacking in their small town; Masha, the middle sister, longs to escape her suffocating marriage to a kind, but weak-foolish, school teacher; and Olga, the eldest, just seems existentially unhappy, like she carries all of the historical weight of a fading Russian aristocracy. Olga is a premonition of the responsibility and fatigue of the new proletariat.

The actresses steal the show. I've always been lucky to see excellent Chekhov--I saw Vanessa Redgrave in The Cherry Orchard and a wonderful Uncle Vanya in Ashland--but I don't think that those productions eclipse the work being done by the three sisters in ART's cast. Amaya Villazan, Luisa Sermol, and Andrea Frankle slip into the lives of their characters so gracefully; there is no artifice in their acting. Their skill in establishing a naturalistic environment on stage is especially highlighted--and disrupted--by Marjorie Tatum's cartoonish performance as Natasha, the sisters' gold digging sister-in-law. Ms. Tatum's performance is dynamic and focused, but so campy as to be distracting. Natasha is vulgar enough without the yelling, charging, and sneering that this production emphasizes.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, the actor playing Vershinin lacks the dynamism and charm needed to convince Masha (and the audience!) that he is worthy of passionate, illicit love. Luckily, his is the only genuinely weak performance in a cast of stunning actors, and Ms. Sermol's Masha provides enough pathos to compensate for Vershinin's dullness. My one critique of Ms. Sermol--and this is really a directorial critique--is that she is too old to play the middle daughter. Ms. Frankle and Ms. Villazan are obviously much younger actresses, and the physical contrasts can be distracting.

The supporting cast is vibrant and varied, providing an exciting diversity of personalities and physical features. It is impossible to be bored by this production, which clips along at a perfect pace, pausing for moments of emotional intensity and highlighting much-needed moments of levity and satire. Design-wise it is lovely, with strands of birch trees mingling with house pieces like a piano and chairs. The characters drift in and out in choreographed movements, making the production visually arresting, and reminding the audience of the paradoxically highly structured and aimless lives of the characters.

ART's Cherry Orchard is a must-see production for anyone with a yen for a really professional show: tight, gorgeous, big budget. It is a genuine pleasure and indulgence, even while you cry your eyes out.