A powerful family affair
ANTON Chekhov's plays carry a powerful dramatic, impact despite the absence of a clearly defined plot; the action off stage reported as if it were action on stage and the presentation of life as it is, dullness and all.
In The Three Sisters, presented by the Hong Kong Repertory Theatre, Chekhov represents the slow-moving futility of life with the image of migratory birds coming and going throughout the play.
The three Prozorov sisters, Olga, Masha and Irina, live with their brother, Andrey, in a provincial town in Czarist Russia at the end of the last century.
They aspire to return to Moscow where they spent their childhood.
This desperate longing was theatrically portrayed by Joseph Varga.
By using the stage backdrop to present a picture of a distant Moscow scene he showed the audience very graphically how far the city was beyond the sisters' reach.
Liu Hong-dou was convincing as the elder sister Olga, who kept the family together.
Lo Koon-lan was the unhappy wife, charmingly flirtatious and bored by her modest husband. She handled her role with her usual competence.
Chan Wai-lin made Irina's transition from a young girl to womanhood credible.
The director, Tom Markus, should be credited for making the play wryly funny but also intensely moving - the delicate Chekhovian emotional balance was held brilliantly right to the end of the play.
He had the kind of double vision which made us see the desperate situation of the characters at the same time as seeing the human values in their lives, which tempered his irony with compassion.
Beyond the humour and humanity, The Three Sisters presents a uniquely honest and sensitive vision of life.
However, the direct translation makes some of the dialogue awkward and reduces the full emotional impact of the play.
Hong Kong Repertory Theatre might consider adapting the play to Hong Kong - a solution which would help free it from many forced and unnatural lines. What if the three sisters lived in Tuen Mun and yet yearned to live in Central or Tsim Sha Tsui? Or how about the three sisters living in Mid-Levels, longing to return to their home country? The Three Sisters, Hong Kong Repertory Theatre. May 6-7, 9-14, 16-21 7.30 pm. May 13 and 20 at 2.30pm. City Hall Theatre $70-$120. Tickets from Urbtix on 2734 9009
