March 2, 2016 | Theatre,

Lev Dodin on Three Sisters

 

Three Sisters is one of the greatest plays of the world’s repertory, and one of Chekhov’s most complex. (Uncle Vanya for me is his finest, most harmonious play, and Three Sisters, one of his most complex and maybe one of the most unharmonious stories). This chunk of life is seen by Chekhov through his personality and his imagination; the painful acquiescence to his illness; his skeptically optimistic view of the human condition; his knowledge of life that often proceeds in spite of our wishes and fears. You have to fight this life; you have to fight your fate, even though you know you will lose. Chekhov speaks with passion and eloquence about the hopelessness of our lives; about the tragic discrepancies between our yearnings and real­ity; about the vital importance of staying true to one’s self and preserving one’s dignity.

 

Three Sisters is a play about people with ideals. Some might call them intellectuals, but I believe people with ideals exist, in the same way that people with lost or no ideals exist, at all segments of society. Today, people all over the world understand what unfulfilled hopes are. We are familiar with plans that have fallen through, lost illusions and impossible loves. We all unfortunately understand the universal language of loss. We understand the stern tone in which life speaks to us, and in this life we work to stay true to ourselves, preserving personal dignity at any cost.

 

 

MAR 2 – 6 at the Cutler Majestic, Downtown Boston. Get tickets now! http://bit.ly/1KArh2B