I am ashamed to say last weekend was my first visit to the New Venture Theatre.

Without realising it, I had made an unfair mental link with the village hall in which I was forced to watch my uncle prance about as A Midsummer Night's Dream's Bottom, a comparison it took only a few opening lines from this very professional production of one of Chekhov's finest to dispel.

Of course, the fact that I have a bit of a soft spot for everything Russian and that Three Sisters is a work of genius does help.

Chekhov may be synonymous with furrowed brows and intense dreams but he is also the master of rib-tickling comedy and anyone who can create a drama steeped in the historical importance of pre-revolution Russia which still has relevance in Brighton 100 years later is more than a little bit clever in my book.

It is not only the fine lines from the playwright which impress but the way they are brought to life.

The small, intimate surroundings of the theatre and the way the audience circles the stage makes us feel we are actually bystanders in the intimacy of the Prozorov drawing-room.

The direction is smooth and effortless, taking us through the movement of conversations flickering from one side of the stage to another and a constant flux of different characters moving in and out of the area of action with ease.

The characters are exceptionally well cast and each part is played with passion, humour and a sincere sense of loving every minute.

There is barely a cough to be heard throughout and there was a stunned lack of movement at the end.

For tickets, call 01273 746118.

Review by Katya Mira, features@theargus.co.uk