Product Description

National Theatre premiere for brand new version of Chekhov masterpiece in all-star production directed by Katie Mitchell Chekhov's magnificent tragi-comedy about the three Prozorov girls and their rapacious sister-in-law is revived at the National this autumn in a luminous new version by Nicholas Wright. Author of the award-winning Vincent in Brixton, Wright has also produced English versions of such classics as Ibsen's John Gabriel Borkman, Pirandello's Naked and Wedekind's Lulu. His own plays, with their carefully structured naturalism, make him an ideal English counterpart for Chekhov. Director Katie Mitchell is one of our most respected women directors. She has worked at the Royal Court, the National (staging Ted Hughes's version of The Oresteia) and at the Young Vic, where she directed Chekhov's Uncle Vanya. Casting for Three Sisters has yet to be completed but, as a National Theatre production, is bound to be starry,

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #511708 in Books
• Published on: 2003-08-06
• Original language: Russian
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 96 pages

About the Author
Anton Chekhov (1860-19040 is one of the world's greatest playwrights. His four masterpieces, The Seagull, Uncle Vanya, Three Sisters and The Cherry Orchard, are rarely absent from the stage. Indeed, this will be the second high-profile production of Three Sisters in London this year... Nicholas Wright's Vincent in Brixton won rave reviews at the National and in the West End last year and opens in New York in April. Earlier work includes the West End hit, Cressida, with Michael Gambon, Mrs Klein at the National Theatre and in the West End, and adaptations of John Gabriel Borkman (with Paul Scofield and Vanessa Redgrave), Naked with Juliette Binoche and Lulu with Anna Friel. All are published by NHB.

Customer Reviews

Love the play AND the edition
The play is wonderful, but what I want to review is this edition - Michael Frayn's translation is excellent and the introduction is really fascinating as well as invaluable if you're studying the text for Theatre Studies or Drama. Nick Worrall provides a commentary looking at the themes of the play, Chekhov's background and theatre in the early 20th century, various (and varied) critical opinions and descriptions of past productions of the play (a life-saver!). He writes unpretentiously, clearly and with an fantastic understanding of the play

"Three Sisters" - Good book, nothing without a good reader.
Imagination is the key to enjoying this book. Reading between the lines and reading deeply into the characters, making comparasomes to yourself will make this one of the best books you will ever have read. The translation from Russian is adequote in expressing the characters and asserting their personalities however, don't expect this translation to be a perfect match to what Chekhov was writing since much of the translators own views of the play are asserted through the translation.

A clever play
This play can be read on so many levels. I take it to represent the art of conversation. If you pay close attention the play seems to focus on it's characters' intrinsic inclination to speak over eachother.
In addition it highlights the 3 sisters' (Masha, Irini ang Olga) longing for what they do not have. It's like the Russian equivalent of the American dream. The characters long for a better future.
But is this play a comedy or a tragedy?