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Three sensational 'Sisters'
By MELISSA ROSE BERNARDO
In the whole of modem Western
drama there exist no female characters
so strong as Anton Chekov's "Three
Sisters." Chekov hasplantedthese three
characters in a world of men, and each
Three Sisters
Trueblood Theatre
December 1, 1994
must find a way for herself.
This striking portrait of three over-
educated young women - Olga,
Masha and Irina - is rarely carried
off with such strength and beauty as it
is in the Department of Theatre and
Drama's current production (through
Dec. 11 at the Trueblood Theatre).
Olga (Rebecca Winston) is the
eldest - a schoolteacher, old before
hertime. Masha (CeciliaT. Grinwald),
the middle sister, married at 18 to an
unexceptional man, and is trapped by
her own boredom. Irina (Heather
Dilly) is the youngest-though she's
growing up fast - and finds herself
consumed with the desire to work.
The play opens one year after the
death of the father, coincidentally
Irina's name day. We meet the sisters
as they contemplate the concurrent
sadness and joy of the occasion.
The sisters are bound by one con-
suming desire: to go to Moscow. They
yearn for much more than they have
in their provincial town; they are over-
whelmed by the petty day-to-day ex-
changes with others. They live with
their brother Andrey (Ward Beau-
champ), a tired scholar and mediocre
violinist, and later with his overbear-
ing wife Natasha (Debbie Keller).
Their house is always filled with visi-
tors, most of whom are military men,
relics from the days of their father.
And though there are nearly three
times as many male roles of size, the
play belongs to the three sisters, all of
whom project a wisdom and maturity
well beyond their years. Most notable
are Cecilia T. Grinwold and Heather
Dilly, if only because Masha and Irina
have more material than Olga. (The
other female "lead," Natasha, is ren-
dered dismissably by Debbie Keller.)
Not that this production lacks sub-
stantive performances from its male
actors. On the contrary -the men hold
their ground as firmly (and perhaps
even more so) as can be expected. How-
ever, the men most often serve as foils,
filling out the sisters' lives, forming the
fountain from which the women's pro-
verbial strength flows. Matthew Bower
as Vershinin (Masha's love) and Paul
C. Molnar as the Baron (who loves
Irina) are particularly commendable, as
is David Mulder's old Doctor. Ward
Beauchamp - though he had a few
trips - turns in an intelligent, mysteri-
ously engaging performance as Andrey.
Perhaps evenjustas striking as the
acting is this production's set. Direc-
tor John Russell-Brown and scenic
designer Nephelie Andonyadis have
gutted out the Trueblood, creating an
extremely long, narrow (and poorly-
lit) playing space. At first glance it
resembles a fashion runway, but the
narrow width creates a certain inti-
macy that only enhances the experi-
ence of this production.
The set pieces and properties are
lavish and abundant, which equal
lengthy scene changes. But that is for-
givable in this otherwise quick-moving
production. Charlotte Pritchard's cos-
tumes are beautiful and flattering.
Russell-Brown has a knack for
placing his actors in an untraditional
space and letting their rendering of
the script fly. Let yourself be swept
away by Chekov's remarkable script.
Listen for the silences; dig through
the torrents of dialogue for the subtext.
Long bombastic speeches reveal little
to nothing about the characters. The
silences - even if just a momentary
0
A scene from "Three Sisters," which plays the Trueblood Theatre this weekend and next.
pause, a beat, a breath - are the most
revelatory and striking.
Watch Irina's face as she prepares
to tell the Baron she does not love
him. Examine Masha's face as she
listens to Vershinin's philosophizing.
Look at Kulygin (exceptionally played
by Camilo Fontecilla) as he realizes such richness of experience.
Masha's love for another man. THREE SISTERS plays the
And you will be struck -- you will Trueblood Theatre tonight and
be moved to near tears- as you absorb Saturday at 8 p.m., Sunday at 2
and understand those moments. It is p.m., Dec. 8, 9, 10 at 8 p.m. and
astounding how such young actors can Dec. 11 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $12
bring off Chekov with such poise and ($6 students). Call 764-0450.
No spells cast in UMGASS''Sorcerer'
By DAVID SHEPARDSON
Maybe it is the fault of the play.
After all, it is Gilbert and Sullivan's
first comic-opera, set in a private gar-
The Sorcerer
Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre
November 30, 1994
den with a Hellenic heroine.
It could be the high-minded philo-
sophical question the play tackles:
love's labor made easy by way of a
love potion.
Maybe the director and cast
weren't looking for answers. So be it.
Despite a collection of mostly
well-heeled performances and flashes
of brilliance, the play stumbles to an
end without a satisfactory resolution.
This latest production of "The Sor-
cerer," by the University of Michigan
Gilbert and Sullivan Society
(UMGASS) has peaks and valleys,
seems too rehearsed and uninspired.
Gilbert's 1877 quest to find the
meaning of love, faith, class and envy
while illustrating dilemmas, never
truly comes to any realizations.
The play opens with the love ban-
quet of Alexis (Alex Brown) and Aline
(Kate Fitzpatrick), a couple of nobil-
ity and wealth. The banquet had-
like many other UMGASS musicals
- sometimes sticky staging. With
more than 30 actors on stage, dance
numbers can be done, but preening
and ambling are less easily accom-
plished, especially on a stage space
the size of the Mendelssohn.
Alexis, whose motives are never
quite what they seem, hires a sorcerer
to create a potion to make members of
the town fall in love with the first
person they see upon awaking. But
why does he really?
(There are a few caveats: The per-
son you see must also have taken the
potion, or it doesn't work. And if the
person you see has already fallen in
love with another potion-drinker, than
it's off to find another mate.)
J.W. Wells (David Zinn) plays the
sorcerer with needed bravado to spice
up the production, which lags in the
first act before his introduction. Wells'
costuming is, however, a bit strange.
And the special effects buildup to the
spell seems out of place.
The interaction between Alexis
and Aline along with their guardians
is wonderful. But when it comes to
Alexis and Aline sharing the stage,
their energy is often lacking. The au-
dience feels their excitement, but not
CHRIS WOLF/Daily
A scene from "The Sorcerer," the University of Michigan Gilbert and Sullivan Society's latest production.
necessarily their love.
Charles Sutherland turns in a fine
performance as Dr. Daly, threatening
to steal scenes. His energy should be
emulated by the rest of the cast.
Finally, the couple's dispute over
Aline's refusal to take the love potion
is not hammered hard enough. Why is
it so important to Alexis? What does
he hope to gain? Why doesn't he trust
her? But if these questions are not
asked, her rationale is unconvincing.
Aline's decision to take the love
potion so quickly does not bode well
for the denouement and the play
speeds to a neat conclusion - inter-
rupted only by a bit of Underworld
antagonizing and silly singing (For
example: "The eggs, the ham / The
strawberry jam.)
Finally, what should be the real
drama, the real question: Who is more
to blame for the ill-fated experiment
- the fool who carries it out, or the
fool who arranges it?
But the play gives the question
short-shrift and barrels on to curtain.
In the final analysis, love is part
love potion - magic intangibles and
undefinable traits - and part rank -
comfortable socially molded soul-
mates. Both require trust. And don't
ask your mate to drink a love potion or
lime Kool-aid.
THE SORCERER plays tonight and
Saturday at 8 p.m., Saturday at
Sunday at 2 p.m. at Mendelssohn
Theatre. Tickets are $10, $8 ($5
students) at the Mendelssohn Box
Office. Call 763-1085.
EMMAUS
VINEYARD
CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP
10 minutes south of 1-94 and US-23
424 UDigo
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