'Three Sistahs': The Ties That Bind
By Nelson Pressley
Special to The Washington Post
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
The wood floors have the luster of cherry, and those silhouetted trees out back -- is that an orchard?
Wrong Chekhov, but right vibe: It's "Three Sistahs," the quiet storm of a musical that's back at MetroStage, where it first appeared five years ago. The moody, sometimes diffuse show, closer to a trio cabaret than a traditional musical, transplants Anton Chekhov's Russian 1901 "Three Sisters" to America circa 1969. Between Vietnam, civil rights and a smoldering family dynamic that borrows freely from Chekhov's drama, these women have plenty to sing about.
Olive, Marsha and Irene have gathered for the funeral of their brother, who was killed in Vietnam. Irene, the youngest sister, is a fervent antiwar protester, played by Felicia Curry with fist-in-the-air rebelliousness. Marsha, the married middle sister, is a bitter cynic, which Crystal Fox translates into laser glances and hollow, ironic laughter. Olive, the eldest, has a streak of superiority that Bernardine Mitchell wears lightly.
There's no lack of attitude as the sisters sing their joys and frustrations. Writer-director Thomas W. Jones II doesn't write scenes so much as he creates poetry, riffing on themes in heightened language that eventually blossoms into song. This makes for a fluid and impressionistic style, awash with raw emotion.
William Hubbard's score dabbles in everything from doo-wop to gospel to blues. But most of the numbers are torchy, introspective ballads, and while they're performed well -- especially by Mitchell, whose powerful voice has a sweet edge -- they tend to blur together. This blunts the show's poignancy.
Still, it's intriguing to watch some of the Chekhovian discontents simmer, with the old home being sold and Olive's decision about an heirloom sparking a family feud.
You can't fault Jonathan Williamson's handsome wood-framed set. You do wonder, though, why there was no discreet spot around the stage for keyboardist/music director/occasional vocalist Hubbard. He is the pulse of the show, but, sequestered in an enclosed sound booth behind the audience, he's too remote to make a visual impact.
You know how sisters can be. One minute, they're boozily giggling about past sexual escapades, the next they're reliving heart-rending family conflicts. And vice versa.
Such is the nature of MetroStage's latest production of "Three Sistahs," which originally made its debut with the theater company in 2002. In the play, an urban update (to 1969) of Anton Checkov's "Three Sisters," Bernardine Mitchell and Crystal Fox return to their roles as Olive and Marsha, respectively, while Felicia Curry plays the fiery Irene.
The three sisters are gathered together for their third funeral in three years; this time, their brother Andre has died in Vietnam. Having lost their parents and now their brother, the women are all that's left of the family, which at the same time enhances their closeness and increases the distance between them.
The cynical, and at times saucy, Marsha is trapped in a loveless marriage, while Irene is a sensitive and idealistic war protester. Olive, a college professor, moved home to care for their ill parents and thus has appointed herself as decision-maker, to the fury of the others.
As the women express their frustrations and deeply buried pain through song, their voices soar and blend together beautifully. The more upbeat numbers work better than most -- "Barely Breathing" and "My One Chance to Dance," in particular.
--Erin Trompeter (Express, August 16, 2007)
