A few years ago, I asked Imogen de la Bere what she would consider to be the essence of life. ‘Truth‘ was her reply. Interestingly, the OVO philosophy of theatre is that the ’emotional truthfulness of the acting should supply everything.’
There is no doubt that this passion and philosophy for truth has shone through in Imogen’s latest play, Chekov’s Three Sisters at OVO Theatre. I don’t know a great deal about the Russia of early 1900 but it just took a few minutes of feeling the misery of the actors to know that things were pretty bleak and desperate.
The cast were incredibly credible (especially Anna Franklin and Jo Emery) and I loved the mixture of despair, longing and fun with music interweaving throughout. Passion also plays a large part in Three Sisters and this was simply heart-melting………By the end I had to remind myself that I was in St Albans not Russia!! The upstairs bar (which just had to be inspected) served divine wine and as a bonus, I could sit by the window in this lovely bar-with-a-view!
Notes; Three Sisters continues until 27th November (excl 22nd/23rd) at the OVO Theatre in Pudding Lane, St Albans. Prices range between £7.50 – £12.50 and online bookings on www.ovo.org.uk / tel 07807 521436
