This one didn’t really work for us, despite the good reviews it mostly received.
It was one of those plays/productions that we thought we ought to have really liked, but didn’t much. We like Chekhov. We like Tracy-Ann Oberman (formerly of NewsRevue in our world, Eastenders in most other people’s). It was a superb-looking cast. Lindsay Posner is a terrific director.
The idea of transferring the Three Sisters to the large home of a relatively wealthy Jewish family in austere post-war Liverpool seemed to be up our street. But Hope Street is not our street; not three hours of it anyhow:
- Philip Fisher of the British Theatre Guide loved it.
- Our friend Michael Billington seemingly shared our reservations.
- Lynne Walker in The Independent reviewed the production at the Liverpool Everyman (before it switched to the Hampstead); she found the production intriguing but expected it to warm up.
Hampstead Theatre stubs don’t go back this far…yet…but Liverpool Everyman one’s do – so there – click here for cast and crew details.
We no doubt ate at Harry Morgan’s before seeing this production, which would at least have got our bellies into the right mode for the three hour “Chekhov meets Wesker Fest” that followed.