... Sisters - TNT

It's all very well to push the boundaries and "apply new levels of formal experimentation to productions of classic European plays" and director Chris Goode is the recipient of an award to do just that. But what might prove a rewarding rehearsal exercise doesn't necessarily translate into a positive experience for the audience. This co-production between the Gate and Headlong points up the pro and cons of playing games with established texts.
Naomi Dawson's clever set is both indoors and out, covered in grass and with elements of childhood and rehearsal room (a playground water fountain, a dressing up trunk, a blackboard). Locked in their little world and destined never to get to Moscow, five female actors and one male (wearing a woman's slip) share the words of Olga, Masha, Irina and their intimates — and add some contemporary phrases as well.
Voices and roles coalesce and collide, but although the overlapping occasionally adds a fierce intensity, for the most part, if you aren't familiar with Chekhov's original, this deconstruction will probably leave you pretty much at sea. On the other hand, if it's one of your favourite classics, the wilful repetition becomes frustrating and is unlikely to yield much fresh insight.Who plays whom and who says what is, apparently, determined each night by picking the short straw, or by the contents of a letter, but (for me, at least) the most fascinating thing on stage was a bombproof rabbit which, making a late appearance, hopped on stage to wash, scratch and try to make sense of these frustrated provincial siblings.
Gate, Pembridge Road W11 (020-7229 0706). Until July 5. £16-£11