There's more directorial intervention in this outing, too, but this time it is both more cogent and even more radical, prompting us to view the play through a different cultural lens entirely.
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The result is a startlingly vivid account of the civil war and a direct assault on British neocolonialism. I just wish Ellams had been less faithful to Chekhov.
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this Three Sisters, confidently played by its ensemble cast and technically accomplished on all fronts...brings a real breath of fresh air to the National.
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There’s something incredibly powerful about seeing elements of Nigerian culture and heritage represented in Ellams’ stirring adaptation.
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Brilliantly fuses the personal and political while demonstrating that Chekhov can thrive far beyond the bounds of Europe. It also confirms Ellams as one of our most exciting, insightful playwrights.
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It’s a free adaptation that could afford to be freer, to dig into historical events without being tied to its Russian source – but when Ellams finds moments of synchronicity between continents, they’re painfully beautiful.
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Inua Ellams has built a fascinating but uneven story of the Sixties Nigeria-Biafra War around the characters and relationships of Anton Chekhov’s original drama. It is very funny, very sad, and very long.
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All in all, it's a smart and sophisticated rethinking, a production that gives a new patina and different depths to an old favourite, provoking new thoughts and old feelings in a very Chekovian way.
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