LSESU Drama Society Productions And

en ere Were None

by JILL SHAUGHNESSY

In case you missed it, LSESU Drama Society put on a successful production of the Agatha Christie classic And en ere Were None in early November. e production ran for three nights and was staged at e Venue in the Student Union building. e small stage made for an intimate performance that added to the eerie atmosphere. e audience was met with an exciting period drama with all the style of a classic whodunit.

Despite simple staging and sets, the cast impressed with enthralling monologues and intense emotions. Martina Sardelli, who played leading lady Vera Claythorne, gripped the audience with her realistic sorrow. Additionally, I thought Lara Arencibia Pender’s portrayal of William Blore to be convincing as well as comedic, and that Konstantin Burgess gave a wonderfully terrifying performance as Sir Lawrence Wargrave that simply stole the show. e play was well cast as every actor seemed to t their respective character perfectly. Also, the direction was impactful and seemed meticulous.

I was worried that the play would lose momentum in the second act. However, I was proved wrong. e production allowed you to become entranced in the gripping mystery until the killer was nally revealed. In short, although some moments included awkward silences or stumbling over other actors’ dialogue, I thought the play was incredibly impressive (especially as a student production with short rehearsal periods and small budgets). I can’t wait to see what Drama Soc produces next.

ree Sisters

by SYED ZAID ALI

Staging classic works such as Anton Chekhov’s ree Sisters is no easy task. Standing on the shoulders of over a century of productions, a director today will be hard-pressed to tell the story in a way that is not only unique, but also develops our understanding of the play. Facing this challenge, the most recent LSESU Drama Society production sees director Hila Davies placing our characters in the here and now.

A sense of claustrophobia is fostered on the small stage of the Old eatre in the Old Building, which is lled with closely-arranged sofas and chairs. row blankets are strewn haphazardly across them, selling the fact that the play opens in a at share that is “painfully reminiscent of student-living”, as Davies puts it. e present day setting is further cemented through a variety of methods: prop newspapers with headlines detailing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, mentions of lockdown, characters scrolling through Twitter, and so on.

Despite its radically di erent setting to the original, this production retains most of the plot and characters as written by Chekhov. As such, the direction they took with this play makes sense, thematically speaking – in a time of such great uncertainty, the despair experienced by some of the characters o en struck a chord within me. However, some features of the play do not translate as well to this modern setting – for instance, the duel between Solyony (Victor Destang) and Tuzenbach (Ollie Scrivens) seems a little dated when contrasted against discussions of the Metaverse.

e entire cast deserves praise for their e orts in putting on this production. e sisters, of course, play their roles well. e weariness with which Harriet Shaw plays Olga clearly underscores her character’s responsibilities as the eldest. Soryoung Han’s depiction of Masha’s melancholy was measured, and her interactions with the equally as impressive Fabian Jones kept me engaged throughout. Jones’ portrayal of the “lovesick Major” Vershinin was successful, as he convincingly depicts the older gentleman’s calm and collected demeanour all while assuredly presenting several philosophical monologues. ough, I believe Nadja Lovadinov’s turn as Irina was the most impressive; the scene in which her character breaks down, lamenting her work and the eeting nature of life, was a standout moment.

ree Sisters remains as one of Chekhov’s most complex works, with a multitude of character relationships to keep track of. is production could have bene ted from taking more time with establishing and elucidating these relationships, which I had trouble keeping track of throughout the rst half. is might have also been a result of pacing issues. Some scenes went by a tad too quickly, leaving little room for the words to sink in.

Regardless of these minor faults, this was yet another successful production by Drama Soc. e greatest boon of setting it in the present is that it reminds us of the timelessness of the great works of the stage. As we question the purpose of this life we are given, Chekhov reminds us to keep going. A er all, as the titular sisters tell us, “We must live, we must live…”