STAGE REVIEW : Chekhov’s ‘Sisters’ Good-Looking but Roughly Acted at Cal State Fullerton

FULLERTON â€”  Where actors are concerned, Chekhov’s plays are known for sharing the wealth. It’s rare when one character dominates the dramatic focus--Chekhov preferred to let his tales emerge from different directions, with different players.

In that respect, his serious “comedies� would make sense for a college theater department planning its schedule. Putting young actors on relatively equal footing with equal performance responsibilities has a nice egalitarian quality to it. “The Three Sisters,� now being staged at Cal State Fullerton, is as good a choice as any.

But what happens when the acting is opaque or lacks confidence? In the case of “Three Sisters,� whose characters can be seen as individual instruments in an orchestra, the result sounds off-key and disorganized. That’s the problem at CSUF, where the Alvin Keller-directed production looks good but is roughly acted and haltingly paced.

It’s important for us to connect with sisters Masha (Lesley Fera), Irina (Jeani Finnerty) and Olga (Jodi Julian) and the people in their lives because there is little in the story to grip us. Chekhov customarily relies more on the tension between characters than the small events that happen in their wake, and at CSUF it’s difficult to decipher the bonds.

The obvious is there; we realize that the death of the sisters’ father has left a vacuum and their longing to move to Moscow is an extension of the rupture in their lives. But the subsequent confusions, passions and everyday intrigues don’t add up to reveal the whole.

A case in point: as the play becomes philosophical and the characters speculate about a distant future when the world may be a better place, we should have a sense of the irony in these people blissfully dreaming of a Brave New World when they can barely navigate the muddled present. At CSUF, there’s no resonance--it’s mostly just pretty talk.

On the technical side, set designer Rob Wyatt deserves praise. His scenery depicting the sisters’ home, including a living room and a large dining room further back, is uncluttered and elegant.

‘The Three Sisters’

A Cal State Fullerton production of Chekhov’s play. Directed by Alvin Keller. With Rachel Hand, Lesley Fera, Jeani Finnerty, Jodi Julian, Thomas C. Sunstrom, Gregory Leach, Rich Remedios, Ilana Rogel, Mark E. Granahan, Matthew Schleicher, Jeff Swarthout, Michelle Meisinger, Sean R. MacArthur, Jim Gray, Carrie Lee Payne, Richard A. Berentsen and Royce Sciortino. Set by Rob Wyatt. Costumes by Juan Lopez. Lighting by Susan Hallman. Sound by John Fisher. Makeup by Abel Zeballos. Plays Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2:30 and 8 p.m. and Sunday at 5 p.m. at Cal State Fullerton’s Little Theatre, 800 N. State College Blvd., Fullerton. Tickets: $5 to $8. (714) 773-3371.