The Sisters (Alfieri)

A SAMUEL FRENCH, INC. TITLE

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Concord Theatricals

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Cast Size

5w, 8m
Duration

120 minutes (2 hours)
Subgenre

Adaptations (Stage & Screen)
Suggested Use
- Scene work
Target Audience

Adult, Senior, Teen (Age 14 - 18)

Details

Summary

Using a college on New York's Upper East Side as their surrogate home and sanctuary, four siblings struggle to banish the ghost of their dead father and create some semblance of harmony as adults. Suggested by Chekhov's Three Sisters, this unflinchingly honest drama with comedy explores and explodes the myths about family and friendship. But in contrast to Chekhov's family, who yearn to leave the staid provinces for the excitement of Moscow, Alfieri's modern siblings long to escape the chaos of Manhattan for the simpler life they left behind in their childhood home in Charleston. As they strive to reconcile their individual desires, they expose each other's deceptions with barbed wit and candor escalating to moments of shocking power. Their final realization is that violence and chaos reside within the walls of their sanctuary -- and within the heart.

History

The Sisters was first presented at the Pasadena Playhouse

Cast Attributes

Keywords

Performing Groups

MARCIA PRIOR GLASS - a beautiful woman in
her early thirties, tastefully dressed
OLGA PRIOR - an attractive but severe-looking, 35, wearing a skirt suit befitting a professor
IRENE PRIOR - a pretty, fresh-faced 22-year-old student
ANDREW PRIOR - 30, pleasant-looking, on the soft side, casually dressed
NANCY PECKET - a very pretty young woman in her early twenties with obvious make-up, a thick mane of hair, and a tight dress
VINCENT ANTONELLI - a robust-looking man in his mid-forties, corporately dressed
DR. CHEBRIN - sixties, head of the English department, wears a well-worn blazer with college insignia
DAVID TURZIN - a 30-year-old philosophy professor
GARY SOKOL - 35, a political-science professor
HARRY GLASS - Marcia's husband, psychologist in his late thirties, dressed in suit and tie
NURSE
PARAMEDIC ONE
PARAMEDIC TWO

Time Period Contemporary, Present Day, New Millennium/21st Century
Features Contemporary Costumes / Street Clothes
Additional Features Not Applicable
Duration 120 minutes (2 hours)
Cautions
- Strong Language
- Mild Adult Themes

Media

"The Sisters, a modern adaptation of Anton Chekhov's Three Sisters, exceeds all expectations. A superbly crafted drama of depth and perception that is alternately touching, clever, and explosive...The Sisters overflows with intelligence and intensity. It is the stuff of great drama." - CBS Radio

"Brutally articulate. Alfieri's barbed dialogue is more Albee than Chekhov and is a boon to an ensemble. Pure guilty pleasure!" - L.A. Weekly.

"Spellbinding! An outrageously, screamingly funny black comedy...mesmerizing...hilarious! Taut and interesting relationships, secrets worth telling." - Daily Breeze.

"The Sisters takes a dramatic turn. Alfieri has performed an interesting thought experiment that makes fascinating sense." - Los Angeles Times.

"Totally absorbing...engaging...very funny!" - Beverly Hills Courier.

"A passionate and absorbing play!" - Pasadena Star-News.

"Funny...sensitive and eloquent...The Sistersis a shining star!" - Entertainment Today.

Licensing & Materials

Minimum Fee: $120 per performance

Scripts

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Authors

Richard Alfieri

Richard Alfieri was born in Florida, graduated from Yale University, and began his professional career in New York. He wrote the feature film Echoes and the novel Ricardo - Diary of a Matinee Idol. He produced the feature film Rescue Me and executive-produced the NBC film Fa ...

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The Sisters (Alfieri)