Theatre Downstairs Production

In this short masterpiece Brian Friel (aka. ‘The Irish Chekhov’) takes a character from two different plays by the Russian dramatist and imagines them meeting by chance in a Moscow cafe some twenty years later. Uncle Vanya’s Sonya Serebriakov is the only customer until the arrival of Three Sister’s put-upon brother Andrey Prozorov. Friel skilfully reveals details of their respective back stories so that previous knowledge of the original plays is not vital for the audience. In this poignant study of broken dreams and stoic optimism pathos and humour are beautifully balanced. This gem of a chamber piece is ideally suited to the intimate setting of the West Walls Theatre Bar.