3 Sisters @ National Theatre (3 Dec-19 Feb)

Fresh from the success of the second run of the critically acclaimed Barbershop Chronicles at the Roundhouse, writer Inua Ellams returns to Lyttelton theatre for an African take on the Chekov classic 3 Sisters.

Rather than a small Russian town, we are transported to late 1960s Owerri, Nigeria, in the heart of Igboland. The Russian sisters being replaced by Lolo, Nne Chukwu and Udo.

The other main difference has been that unlike Chekov’s relatively peaceful town setting, Owerri is on the verge of been engulfed by the devasting Biafran civil war which resulted in over 500,000 Biafrans dying of starvation.

The three sisters are grieving the loss of their father. Months before, two ruthless military coups plunged the country into chaos.

Fuelled by foreign intervention, the conflict encroaches on their provincial village, and the sisters long to return to their former home in Lagos.

The themes explored are the same, that of small-town small-mindedness, the frustration of unachieved ambitions and the pull of the city by those living in the provinces.

The production is directed by Nadia Fall, currently artistic director of Theatre Royal Stratford, Her recent productions include a revival of August Wilson’s King Hedley II and The Village by April De Angelis. She was an associate director at the National where her work included Home and Dara.

3 Dec-19 Feb, 3 Sisters, National Theatre, Details and tickets https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/shows/three-sisters