Day: 10 April 2014
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THEATRE REVIEW | Three Sisters, Southwark Playhouse
★★★★★ | | Three Sisters, Southwark Playhouse
Three sisters are living in a vast house three thousand miles from home, longing for different forms of escape as they languish in the Middle East.
Overworked and highly strung English teacher, Olga, yearns for the romance she hasn’t been able to find, as she’s acted as the maternal figure for her younger siblings following the death of their parents. Wild and sullen Masha regrets a hasty marriage to a man she looks down on as a fool and idealistic Irina dreams of returning to England and escaping the boredom of life in an ex-pat community. Meanwhile their brother, Andrey, is failing to live up to his early promise as he contemplates an unsuitable marriage to someone brash and vulgar and is threatening to bring them to ruin with his dissipation.
Tended to by two elderly servants, they rattle around their huge property. Hard drinking, hidden desires and deceit abound as the siblings spar with each other, fend off the outside world and unwittingly welcome in turmoil and chaos in the shape of a trio of soldiers, far from their homes also, and an old family friend with issues with drink and brutal frankness.
Anya Reiss’ skilful reworking of Chekov’s classic 1901 play brings it bang up to date into the 21st century and proves what a witty and skilled observer of human nature the author was. Language and situation may have changed radically in over a hundred years but motivations and desires haven’t. The complex plot is retold beautifully and with panache.
This play certainly packs a punch with breath-taking performances, a versatile and well-utilised set and a well paced dramatic arc. Southwark Playhouse has managed to pull off an astounding piece of theatre. The cast are particularly strong with knock out performances all round.
If you’re a Chekov fan then this won’t disappoint. If you’re new to Chekov’s work then you couldn’t get a much finer introduction than Reiss’ reworking. This has to be one of the must see plays of the spring.
Three Sisters is on at Southwark Playhouse until the 3rd of May 2014
Book tickets here: http://southwarkplayhouse.co.uk/index.php/the-large/three-sisters/
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Independence Day Director To Take Charge Of Gay Stonewall Film
Film maker Roland Emmerich, whose CV boasts Independence Day and White House Down is to direct a brand new historical drama of the Stonewall movement.
The Stonewall film will focus on a teenager, to be played by War Horse actor Jeremy Irvine, who moves to New York, and becomes politically awakened after the Stonewall riots, which happened as a bad lash against a police raid on the New York gay bar The Stonewall Inn, in June 1969.
The Stonewall riots became known as a series of spontaneous protests, by the gay community, which often ended in violence. They are widely considered to be the beginning of the modern gay right’s movement.
Raids on the Inn were very frequent and according to reports, house lights were turned on, customers were lined up and searched, and their ID cards checked. Those who did not have ID cards were arrested, so were men dressed in Drag.
According to Deadline the gay, German film maker has been working towards the making of Stonewall for over a decade. Emmerich is a campaigner for equal rights.
Emmerich is set to start production soon. Roland Emmerich is currently working on a sequel for Independence Day.