Three sisters
Endla Theatre
When the famous writer Chekhov listened to the first readout of his new play “Three Sisters” in 1900, he didn’t last for very long in the room. When the famous theatre practitioner Stanislavski found Chekhov after the rehearsal, he was in a bad mood, sad and angry because he had thought that he had written a jolly comedy but at the reading, everyone considered it a drama and cried when reading it. Chekhov thought that this means that the play was incomprehensible and, therefore, a failure.
From the very first rehearsal, there’s been something odd about this famous play. But despite that, “Three Sisters” is the most famous and most often produced play of the famous author which has been directed and acted by many famous theatre people. And even famous robots. But every single time, there’s discussion around what the famous play is about. “Regiment comes and regiment goes,” is a famous saying by a famous theatre practitioner that we love to cite here in Estonia when talking about the main events in this famous play.
But now the famous director Vihmar has decided to direct this play as well. Actually, he has decided to do it twice, because he’s directing it in Tartu as well. He says: ““Three Sisters” is a play about three sisters and a brother who live in the middle of nowhere in Russia. Their parents are dead and they can’t be bothered to do much. They live as if in a military base or something. One of the sisters is married to some old bastard who keeps pestering her and who praises her for some reason. And the brother is in love and gets wed during the play but the marriage is not a happy one. The sisters keep sighing and yearning to go to Moscow because they used to live there a long time ago but actually they don’t remember much of that time. And for some reason, they never go back, they just keep whinging. And then there’s a Vershinin who is married and has kids and everything but for some reason he starts swarming around the married sister. And then the younger sister causes a man to die. A gun is involved. That’s what the story is like.”
But for some reason, he’s directing this play. And it won’t be his last.
Director, art director and
sound designer: Ingomar Vihmar.
Author: Anton Chekhov
Translator: Otto Samma
Costume designer: Jaanus
Vahtra
Lighting designer: Iiris
Purge
Cast: Carmen Mikiver, Kleer
Maibaum, Kadri Rämmeld, Jane Napp, Carita Vaikjärv, Priit Loog, Jaan Rekkor,
Andrus Vaarik, Märt Avandi, Karl-Andreas Kalmet, Enn Keerd, Ingomar Vihmar.
The premiere was held on November 27, 2021 in the Barn Hall of Endla Theatre.
The performance consists of two acts with an intermission and lasts for 2 hours and 20 minutes.