Mad, rad, and dangerous to miss, Track 3 is a glorious treat that is sure to bring a smile to the face. Adapted from Chekhov’s comedy Three Sisters, Theatre Movement Bazaar and Greenwich Theatre distort the traditional naturalistic approach into a surreal mixture of dance, song and clowning. We follow the misfortunes of the Prozorov family as they struggle to find meaning in their bland, stagnant world: the sisters yearn for the sophistication and culture of Moscow, while their brother Andrei collapses under the weight of expectation heaved upon his shoulders.
Bland and stagnant, however, could not be further from the truth of this world. As far from naturalism as may be possible, the movements of the characters are sharp and choreographed, while speech is deliberately stilted and theatrical. Performers spontaneously burst into song and dance, and do some marvellous things with set rearrangement. What we have is not the oppressive boredom felt by the traditional characters but a correspondingly oppressive cabin fever. The seriously intense, hyper, anti-naturalistic approach is in equal parts hilarious and disturbing as we see this universe spiral into claustrophobic madness.
The work that has gone into blocking and choreography is staggering. The space is used to its fullest as the cast spring back and forth with the precision of Robin Hood’s arrows, pushing on a joyfully exhausting pace. Though all the performers bring buckets of energy, a true stand-out is Irina - the youngest sister - whose face is infinitely expressive and who delivers a pant-wettingly funny performance. Andrei, too, possesses fabulous timing, particularly in the nervous, naturalistic whimpers which punctuate the stylised dialogue.
As the show draws to a close a melancholy begins to pervade and encompass; the hyperactivity fades and we are left with a moving but somewhat warming conclusion. The closing scene of the original is truly sad; Track 3 offers slight yet significant hope for one final humourous diversion. The production is just as strong in its gloom as it is in its mania, and becomes rather upsetting at points.
The time whizzed by as swiftly as the pace and all too soon it was over. I would have loved to have stayed around for another hour of this incredible show. I may just have to go again.
