The Three Sisters of Weehawken

by Deborah Zoe Laufer

Olga, Masha and Irina have dreamt of returning to their childhood home of Manhattan all their lives. There It lies, gleaming, a mere ferry ride away from their provincial home in Weehawken, New Jersey. Though their sister-in-law, Natasha, tries valiantly to help them realize their dream with offers of work, tickets, maps, guidebooks, even anti-depressants, old patterns are hard to break. And that fifteen-minute...

Olga, Masha and Irina have dreamt of returning to their childhood home of Manhattan all their lives. There It lies, gleaming, a mere ferry ride away from their provincial home in Weehawken, New Jersey. Though their sister-in-law, Natasha, tries valiantly to help them realize their dream with offers of work, tickets, maps, guidebooks, even anti-depressants, old patterns are hard to break. And that fifteen-minute ferry ride may as well be a mission to Mars. As they remain, decade after decade stretching into old age, the walls of their world move in tighter and tighter, until it becomes nearly impossible to move at all, borrowing as much from Beckett as Checkhov, The Three Sisters of Weehawken, wonders at the forces that keep us from following our dreams, and begs the question -- how little can one live, and still have lived “a life”?

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The Three Sisters of Weehawken

Recommended by

  • Melissa Schmitz: The Three Sisters of Weehawken by Deborah Zoe Laufer
    “

    THE THREE SISTERS OF WEEHAWKEN by Deborah Zoe Laufer is a biting satire of the Chekhov classic. I inhaled it on a flight to NYC, which was very serendipitous given the ending of the play. Hilarious from start to finish and a great script for four character actresses. Highly recommend.

    THE THREE SISTERS OF WEEHAWKEN by Deborah Zoe Laufer is a biting satire of the Chekhov classic. I inhaled it on a flight to NYC, which was very serendipitous given the ending of the play. Hilarious from start to finish and a great script for four character actresses. Highly recommend.

    ”
  • Cheryl Bear: The Three Sisters of Weehawken by Deborah Zoe Laufer
    “

    Such a treat for Chekhov fans. So funny and a gift in terms of play, a thrill for the actors. Excellent!

    Such a treat for Chekhov fans. So funny and a gift in terms of play, a thrill for the actors. Excellent!

    ”
  • Brian Mulholland: The Three Sisters of Weehawken by Deborah Zoe Laufer
    “

    I stumbled upon this play quite by accident -- and was awfully glad I did. Ms. Laufer has grafted late 19th-century Russian sensibilities onto updated, contemporary characters, and the resulting synthesis is wonderfully witty. It's an impressive feat -- putting modern dialogue and idioms into the mouths of Irina, Masha, and Olga, while preserving their Chekhovian essence. The dialogue is dry, wry, and nothing if not sly -- and I had a smile on my face through the entire read.

    I stumbled upon this play quite by accident -- and was awfully glad I did. Ms. Laufer has grafted late 19th-century Russian sensibilities onto updated, contemporary characters, and the resulting synthesis is wonderfully witty. It's an impressive feat -- putting modern dialogue and idioms into the mouths of Irina, Masha, and Olga, while preserving their Chekhovian essence. The dialogue is dry, wry, and nothing if not sly -- and I had a smile on my face through the entire read.

    ”

Production History

  • Professional, Theatre Lab, 2016