In his new play, We Are Three Sisters, presented by Northern Broadsides at the Lowry, Blake Morrison successfully weaves in aspects of Chekhov’s Three Sisters.

Set in the 1840s in the Bronte's soleless Haworth parsonage, you can sense the claustrophobic atmosphere as the girls rival one another in their writing and their brilliant brother turns to drink.

The rules of the house are overseen by a strict father.

Duggie Brown shows him to have human feelings, too.

The three sisters, Anne, Emily and Charlotte cling together in a secret world of fiction which blots out their autocratic father and drunken, violent brother.

Rebecca Hutchinson, Sophia Di Martino and Urmston actor, Catherine Kinsella respectively, draw us into their characters' imaginations, the results of which are still enjoyed in novels and films such as Jane Eyre.

The three yearn to be loved by a man and to spread their wings.

But their lives are locked in the dark and windy parsonage, and the cemetery outside.

The women are contrasted by their well educated brother, Branwell.

Gareth Cassidy outstandingly illustrates a man who escapes to the pub where his alcohol problem is exacerbated by an unsuccessful affair with a married woman.

The scene when he returns, blind drunk, and takes out his pent up frustration on his sisters is unforgettable - as is their united reaction.

* Until September 24. For tickets call 0843 208 6005.