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Previews: 05/12/2010- Close: 05/27/2010
Three Sisters Come And Go Reviewed for TheaterOnline.com By: Andrew Cohen
 During the opening sequence of Three Sisters Come and Go, a play cobbled together with text from various Chekhov plays, Beckett’s Come and Go, and Julia Kristeva’s philosophies, three women sit on a bench wearing matching trench coats and large hats over their faces that conceal their eyes. The rather pleasing tableau invites the audience into an uncertain world that’s simultaneously haunting and exciting. Sadly, however, the play neither haunts nor excites and only haltingly pleases. It wasn’t until twenty minutes in that those damn hats came off! While sitting on the bench, one “sister” says to the other, “flow.” After a fifteen second pause, the other responds, “yes.” Director Orietta Crispino should have taken that to heart, but the production never gets into a groove. After the hats come off, things get rolling on a stunning white set—white walls, white chairs, white table—with the ladies all in black holding black parasols. The glorious Chekhov dialogue comes forth, and the actors stop waiting thirty seconds to pick up their cues. But, wait, who are these three beauties“ Actresses performing an experimental theatre piece they know they’re in? Each an amalgam of specific characters from Chekhov’s plays? Actual characters in their own story in the world of Three Sisters Come and Go? The answers are unclear, and as lovely as it would be if the search for those answers throughout the play provided meaning, it provides only confusion and frustration. But hey, it’s a fun game trying to figure out which play they’re quoting from. The Cherry Orchard is pretty obvious because the orchard is brought up. Whenever they mention Moscow, Three Sisters is a good bet. And who can complain when hearing gems from The Seagull such as “I am in mourning for my life” and Nina’s Act Four monologue when she realizes “I’m a seagull?” I’m going to reread Uncle Vanya for sure this week because I only caught Sonya’s words a few times. I wonder if there was anything from Ivanov.  The best part of the play comes when neither Chekhov nor Beckett are on overt display, the time when it works on its own merits, near the end when Claire Helene creeps out through a closed curtain and addresses the audience. When the fourth wall collapses, we are free to explore the philosophical intrigue in acting, the theatre, loss, and longing in an adventuresome way along with the performers. That exploration is so valuable. During that brief scene when Helene’s “sister” asks for the time, confesses how old she is at twenty seven, confides her inability to remember anything, takes a drink for the first time in two years, and even offers a glass of wine to an audience member, then the empty space is alive. If only that style were consistently maintained, the play may have had much to communicate. Unfortunately, it plays as an ad for Chekhov’s brilliance. I found myself constantly waxing nostalgic over Rickson’s stunning production of The Seagull that was recently on Broadway with Kristin Scott Thomas and Mendes’ wonderful Uncle Vanya that was at BAM with Emily Watson instead of paying attention to what was right in front of my eyes. That being said, in addition to Claire Helene’s aforementioned vitality, both Jackie Lowe and Liza Cassidy do an admirable job bringing nuance and verve to a rather lifeless piece. I’m going to take a page from Three Sisters Come and Go, and close with Chekhov’s words because “None of it matters. Nothing matters.” That’s what Chebutykin says. Olga replies, “If we could only know, oh if we could only know!” Venue: Theaterlab : 137 W 14th St |
