Three Sisters – Review of Inua Ellams’ Play at Young Centre

Many of us who were around in the late 1960’s may recall a news story that dominated the media and was known as the Nigerian or Biafra Civil War. It raged from 1967 to 1970 leaving between five hundred thousand and three million people dead. The region of Biafra declared its independence from Nigeria and the rebellion was subsequently crushed.
The story of the Biafra Civil War is shown in Three Sisters, a play by Inua Ellams in a coproduction by Soulpepper and Obsidian Theatre companies at the Young Centre in Toronto. The play is subtitled “After Chekhov” and is a brilliant work of originality that echoes its Russian inspiration.
The three sisters of the Onuzo family are Lolo (Akosua Amo-Adem), Nne Chukwu (Virgilia Griffith) and Udo (Makambe K. Simamba), the daughters of a general who died a year ago. They are living in a small provincial town in Biafra, a province of Nigeria that, unlike Chekhov’s town, is seeking independence from Nigeria. The sisters are living with memories of their life and glamour of the capital. They have memories, dreams, hopes and perhaps even illusions about life in the great city of Lagos and it is the central motif of their life. They have fervent hopes and dreams of returning to the almost magical city.
Lolo is a teacher and dreams of changing the curriculum of her school to make it more relevant to their Igbo ethnic background rather than follow what was left by the British and adopted by the central government.
Nne Chukwu is the victim of an arranged marriage and turns unfaithful when she falls in love with Ikemba (Daren A. Herbert), the philosophy-prone army commander.
Their feelings are exacerbated by the memory of their father. Their brother Dimgba (Tony Ofori) is a feckless professor and reckless gambler who is married to Abosede (Oyin Oladeja), a Yoruba woman from a different ethnic group who does not fit with the ethnic group of the three sisters. She is dressed peculiarly and perhaps gaudily and is the butt of jokes. She will develop into a different person during the three years of the civil war and “pay back” the sisters.
The personal lives of the Onuzo family are inextricably affected by the civil war because their house is the hub of activity for the military leaders of the secessionist Biafra. The play takes place on two latitudes, the personal lives of the Onuzo family and the national issue of the civil war.
Army doctor Eze (Sterling Jarvis) is a disillusioned and cynical alcoholic who is ever present in their household. Nmeri, (Ngabo Nabea) is the idealistic suitor of the youngest sister Udo. Rebellion leaders come and go from the pleasant house of the Onuzo family as matters deteriorate leading to a tragic end.
But hope persists for a while. Lolo the teacher dreams of changing the school curriculum to cover the history of the Igbo nation. But like the hopes and dreams of returning to Lagos all are crushed by reality
Perhaps there is a subterranean third latitude. It is instructive to recall that Nigeria became an independent nation in 1960 after being a part of the British Empire since 1884. The play and much of Nigerian history reflects the British imperial presence, none of it in complimentary terms to the conqueror.
Director Mumbi Tindyebwa Otu does superb work in directing an outstanding cast. This is theatre that is historically important and drama at its best.
Three Sisters by Inua Ellams continues until March 24, 2024, at the Young Centre for the Performing Arts, 55 Tank House Lane, Toronto, Ontario, M5A 3C4.
www.soulpepper.ca.

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