Three Sisters

Cast: 14
Acts: 4
Runs: 150 mins.

From a 1917 journal published by the Moscow Art Theatre (MAT):

“Chekhov wrote Three Sisters in Yalta, and then rewrote it in early autumn in Moscow. He spent two to three days on each act, but there were significant breaks between the acts. 

With complete sincerity he said that he had written a vaudeville, and was taken aback at our amusement of this definition of Three Sisters…

Chekhov was present for the first read-through of the play by the actors. As on another occasion when the actors plied him with questions about particular aspects of their parts which seemed unclear to them, Chekhov not only refused any lengthy explanations, but rather categorically answered them with short, monosyllabic words… 

Given the ensemble playing, the friendliness of the performance, and maturity of form, Three Sisters was always seen in the theatre as the best of the Chekhov productions.”