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3 Sisters On Hope Street

Everyman Theatre, Liverpool
 January 25 – February 16

Author: Diane Samuels and Tracy-Ann Oberman (after Chekhov)
Director: Lindsay Posner
Producer: Everyman Playhouse
Cast includes: Philip Voss, Suzan Sylvester, Gerard Monaco, Finbar Lynch, Anna Francolini, Samantha Robinson, Elliot Levy, Russell Bentley, Daisy Lewis, Ben Caplan.

Running time: 3 hrs 10 mins

There has been something of a strange mystique surrounding this particular adaptation of Chekhov’s Three Sisters that has caught the attention of the Liverpool theatre going public, but the sense of anticipation has been more than justified because this, quite simply, is as near faultless a production as anybody has a right to expect, with superlative performances coming from all those involved.

Philip Voss as the kindly Uncle Nate, has a bumbling vivacity that is mesmerising; Suzanne Sylvester, the jaded yet strangely simmering May, lights up the stage at every turn; Gerard Monaco as Solly, the war damaged, headstrong GI, is breathtaking in his moody presence. Yet to single out these three alone is an injustice. Each and every player – whether his or her part is small or large – offers a fresh insight into the Jewish corner of post-war England with such clarity, three hours pass within the beat of a fluttering eye and mainly because the play’s message of the continuous hope of hope itself is never waved like a hammer over the heads of the audience. Subtlety is the play’s strength and Diane Samuels, Tracy-Ann Oberman and Lindsay Posner should be roundly applauded for making such witty, thoughtful and beautifully heartbreaking theatre come alive.

Adaptations of classics are sometimes so much money for old rope. After all, they’re not classics for nothing. However The Liverpool Everyman’s 3 Sisters On Hope Street is pure silk through and through, as exquisite writing, a powerful theme and stunning performances all make this a production not to miss.

Chris High.

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