Though Chekhov’s play is titled Three Sisters, rarely, if ever, do the title characters emerge as true stars of any production. All the action ostensibly centers on the trio—it does take place in their house, after all—but there are twice as many husbands, love interests, and would-be-suitors in Olga, Masha, and Irina’s orbit. It always somehow feels like an ensemble play. Not so with Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow, Halley Feiffer’s crafty, contemporary-ish take on the Chekhov classic at MCC Theater.
At its core, Moscow x 6 (for simplicity’s sake) is very much Three Sisters. Olga (Rebecca Henderson) is a tired schoolteacher; Masha (Chris Perfetti) loathes her Latin-teacher husband, Kulygin (Ryan Spahn); and Irina (Tavi Gevinson, giving her best stage performance to date) is slightly optimistic. Their weak-willed violin-playing brother, Andrey (Greg Hildreth) loves the tacky Natasha (Sas Goldberg). The dashing-but-married lieutenant-colonel, Vershinin (Alfredo Narciso), loves Masha. The sweet-but-bland baron, Tuzenbach (Hand to God’s Steven Boyer), loves Irina. The creepy captain, Solyony (Matthew Jeffers), loves Irina. The doctor, Chebutykin (Ray Anthony Thomas), might be Irina’s father; he loved the quartet’s mom. And the servants Anfisa (Ako) and Ferapont (Gene Jones) are tired. Sounds familiar so far, yes?
From the start, Feiffer and director Trip Cullman—who also directed Feiffer’s The Pain of My Belligerence this year, and her earlier A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Gynecologic Oncology Unit at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center of New York City and I’m Gonna Pray for You So Hard—keep the Prozorov sisters front and center. It’s Olga, Masha, and Irina’s world, and everyone else just lives in it.
[Read Jesse Oxfeld’s ★★★★ review here.]
Feiffer’s sisters are fast-talking, foul-mouthed (but who am I to judge?), well-dressed (I covet Olga’s J’aime Rodarte/Je Deteste Rodarte T-shirt), and all-around pretty fabulous. Sure, they can be a bit catty. Masha of Natasha: “She looks like she just finished sucking like thirteen dicks every time she shows up here.” Olga: “That’s actually not that many dicks.” They do tend to run roughshod over other people’s feelings. Irina to Tuzenbach: “I’m never going to love you.” And, you know, they’re basically obsessed with Moscow. The mere mention of their hometown practically sends them into a trance. “Wait sorry really quick maybe this is dumb,” blurts Irina, “but like why can’t we just go back to Moscow?”
Not surprisingly, no one answers. But at least Feiffer asked the question. Moscow x 6 gets right to the heart of so many characters. Finally Vershinin tells Masha what we’ve always wanted to hear: “I think I’m in love with you.” Swoon! And Tuzenbach ruefully tells Irina, after she finally agrees to marry him: “You don’t even love me.” Sad face, to quote Olga.
The sisters and their squad might sound different from their Chekhovian predecessors— “HBD,” “NBD,” “’K,” “bee-tee-dubs,” “uggghhh,” “heyyy,” “I cannot,” “whatever,” “obvi” (that’s Natasha’s answer to Andrey’s marriage proposal, which happens after some very acrobatic sex)—but the show is firmly rooted in 1900 Russia. No one is snapping selfies or Tweeting. They still sip tea from a samovar and write longhand. One notable exception: the terrific costumes by Tony winner Paloma Young (Peter and the Starcatcher), whose fast-casual creations run the gamut from rainbow-and-unicorn accessories for the sunny Irina to push-it-up, suck-it-in pink ensembles for the slutty Natasha.
Bonus: Feiffer somehow fits all of Chekhov’s action (and inaction) into a breezy, intermission-free 90 minutes. Smiley face.
Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow opened July 18, 2019, at the MCC Theater Space and runs through Aug. 3. Tickets and information: mcctheater.org
