Fringe theatre productions often tug at the conventional framework most come to expect as theatre. In Molly Spain’s Four Sisters, Chekhov is torn up and reassembled in a 45 minute show.
Spain tells us at the show’s end that it ‘is very close to my heart’ and there’s something to be admired in a clear labour of love.
Innovation, challenge, provocation, entertainment. It’s what I seek from a small-scale production. Would Little Foxes Theatre Company and Four Sisters provide it?
The sisters from Chekhov’s Three Sisters are present here. Helen Baird plays Olga, Sarah Sinizer-Hopkins plays Irina, and Spain herself plays Masha.
They are joined by Nikki Weber as Natasha (who you may recall as the shy sister-in-law in the original play).
Spain and her director Everleigh Brenner have set the action in a room that is part children’s tea party, part invention. As we arrive, the actors are setting up props and adding chalk drawings to the back wall.
Four Sisters began when Spain removed all the dialogue in Chekhov’s original that didn’t relate to women. Then she utilised some of the remaining text with words of her own to craft this play.
In place of Chekhov’s dull provincial town is this weird playroom. Olga, the teacher; Masha, the melodramatic; and Irina, the childlike all retain their basic traits but bemoan the passing of time while nothing happens.
Natasha is still teased for wearing green but otherwise draws back from the controlling personality in Three Sisters. She doesn’t quite belong, an outcast from the start of the play.
Four Sisters is certainly innovative, pushing at expectations and shying away from a linear narrative. It challenges audiences to unpick what they are seeing and reach their own conclusions.
The themes of immigration and queer identity are hinted at but not as clear as they might be. However, Spain’s vision and voice mark her out as a gifted writer.
In taking an absurdist and artificial tone with the characters, Four Sisters repeats moments like Irina’s birthday while fudging the reasons why the sisters feel so trapped.
There’s a door through which they never leave, although the loop of their life seems to be bickering, complaining, and drinking tea.
The idea of sisterhood and fellowship, of found family and societal norms, could be extremely provocative, but I felt the play prioritised caution over clarity.
Ultimately, Four Sisters is aiming to do something remarkable in the name of entertainment.
Despite a clear sense of commitment from all concerned, it isn’t quite there yet in terms of that connection between actor(s) and audience. As a work in progress, though, it is worth looking at.
3 stars but keep an eye on this company and their blend of classic and contemporary theatre.
Four Sisters is at Barons Court Theatre until 11 Oct – tickets here.