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A CurtainUp Los Angeles Review
Three Sisters
| Here in town there are only three of your kind now, but in coming generations there will be more, always more and more. . .— Vershinin Time is passing and it all seems to be moving away from any real, beautiful life, all moving away farther and farther into some abyss. . .and we'll never go to Moscow. — Irina |
If ghosts could applaud, you'd hear it for this lovely production of Chekhov's Three Sisters, the debut of the new young Chalk Repertory Company. It gets a crystalline new translation by Susan Coyne whose credits include the delicious CBC series Slings and Arrows about the back-stage life of Canada's Shakespeare Festival.
The Chalk have made their mark in the Masonic Auditorium on the Cemetery grounds, whose Art Deco décor, chandeliers and polished floor do justice to the play's 19th century period. Director Larissa Kokernot deals well with the play's dramatic pacing and emotional content, though her decisions to use each corner of the large auditorium as an office or room made those sightlines invisible to some.> Set piece props and costumes work well, though the company is saddled with primitive lighting facilities, some of their own, some on site. The audience was seated on each side of the auditorium which had a raised stage at one end which is used for the family's dinner party.
Only in Los Angeles would you see the three Prozoroff sisters and their brother Andrei portrayed by Asian actors, Vershinin by a Latino and Solyony by an African-American. Jennifer Chang is the spark as Masha, with Aileen B. Cho bringing a touching frailty to the youngest Irina and Joy Osmanski ballast to the oldest Olga. Adam J. Smith brings a credible naturalism, slashed with fatalistic humor, to Baron Tuzenbach, who is in love with Irina. Owiso Odera memorably enlivens his rival Solyony's fury with animal quacks and barks.
Ricardo Antonio Chavira (Carlos on Desperate Housewives) plays the dashing Vershinin with thoughtful presence. Teri Reeves has an early vulnerability and developing nastiness as the vulgar bossy Natasha, wife of Andrei, played by Feodor Chin who subtly interprets his character's diminishment as the play goes on. Corey Brill lends a deft comic touch to Masha's hapless husband Kulygin and Tony Amendola plays Dr. Chebutykin with weary authority.
An auspicious start for a new company that's a long way from being buried!
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Three Sisters Playwright: Anton Chekhov, new translation by Susan Coyne Director: Larissa Kokernot Cast: Jennifer Chang (Masha ), Aileen B. Cho (Irina ), Joy Osmanski (Olga), Adam J. Smith (Baron Tuzenbach), Ricardo Antonio Chavira (Vershinin), Feodor Chin (Andrei), Teri Reeves (Natasha), Owiso Odera (Solyony), Tony Amendola (Dr. Chebutykin), Corey Brill (Kulygin), Eva Wielgat Barnes (Anfisa), Tom Carey (Ferapont), Richard Tanne (Fedotik), Tony Aguilar (Rohde) Scenic & Projection Design: Tom Ontiveros Costume Design: Raquel Barreto Lighting Design: Rebecca Bonebrake and Tom Ontiveros Production Stage Manager: Thomas Isao Morinaka Running Time: Three hours, one intermission Running Dates: January 30-February 22, 2009 Where: Chalk Repertory Theatre at Masonic Auditoreum, Hollywood Forever Cemetary, 6000 Santa Monica Blvd, Hollywood. Reservations: (866) 468-3399 Reviewed by Laura Hitchcock on February 8, 2009. |
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