By Jenny Enarsson Three Sisters begins with Irina Prozorova's name-day celebration, in the provincial Russian town where their late military father had been stationed. Irina and her sisters Olga and Masha make half-hearted attempts to put up with life in their adopted home, but cannot - will not? - stop longing for their birth town Moscow. Olga, a teacher, is the reliable and responsible one, working all hours of the day. Masha is stuck in a marriage to a man she despises. Irina is desperate to get out of the house and find a job - and the freedom and sense of purpose she hopes will come with it - in the outside world. The name-day festivities fill the house with old and new acquaintances, forming a group which we then follow over three and a half years. We can see the power dynamics within the group change back and forth with different turns of events. We get to watch up close as life teaches the sisters some hard lessons, as they are forced to let go of high-flying dreams, leave the naïveté of childhood behind, and compromise their desires. Lasting around three hours the play is definitely too long, but it is nicely directed and well acted by everyone involved. Sheila McKean and Don Fathers both fill their roles with intelligent unassuming humour and a lot of heart. Chip Horne grows on the audience as the initially annoying and subsequently more complex and likeable Kulygin. Through all their sorrow and misfortune, the three sisters somehow manage not to lose sight of hope - even when it is the single thing they have left. And so somehow this drama, so filled with misery, manages to convey a sense that anything can happen and we never know what is around the corner. | 
