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.

    ”
  • NICOLE PERRY: The Three Sisters of Weehawken by Deborah Zoe Laufer
    “

    In our first virtual play reading club of the social distancing of 2020, we read this play! Truly funny, while being frighteningly realistic to the day- life is happening, whether you make the choices or not. A good quarantine read!

    In our first virtual play reading club of the social distancing of 2020, we read this play! Truly funny, while being frighteningly realistic to the day- life is happening, whether you make the choices or not. A good quarantine read!

    ”
  • Donna Gordon: The Three Sisters of Weehawken by Deborah Zoe Laufer
    “

    This is certainly Chekhovian although the language, which varies according to the feelings being expressed, is modern. These characters, because of fears, fail to make the choices which could make them happy as functioning adults in a colorful world. Their lives are ruled by inconsequential details and petty remarks. Such boring mundanity happens to many of us when we fail to consider options and make choices. And even if we find ourselves in limbo, we have bad habits that surround us, and time increases these in its march forward. This is a great play that I would love to see.

    This is certainly Chekhovian although the language, which varies according to the feelings being expressed, is modern. These characters, because of fears, fail to make the choices which could make them happy as functioning adults in a colorful world. Their lives are ruled by inconsequential details and petty remarks. Such boring mundanity happens to many of us when we fail to consider options and make choices. And even if we find ourselves in limbo, we have bad habits that surround us, and time increases these in its march forward. This is a great play that I would love to see.

    ”
View all 8 recommendations

Production History

  • Professional, Theatre Lab, 2016