The Seagull

Synopsis

Written in 1896 this is a comic play of aspiration and failure. Nina aspires to be an actress, Kostya a writer. Madame Arkadina and Trigorin are already these things. Can the young people's dreams come true or will they sour when confronted with the adult world?

Our Review:

21 May 2013

Chekhov and his first work for the stage, The Seagull, both have a reputation that precedes them; like a stately galleon the big writer and his major cannon of the theatre often set sail to bring faithful audiences flocking. You can forget all that if you want, as this is such a fresh, new translation and a very modern piece that its history doesn’t matter. Like so many great Shakespearean adaptations now the original work provides the solid foundation for the soaring flights of creative fancy of John Donnelly (writer), Blanche McIntyre (director) and Laura Hopkins (designer). More than blowing fresh wind in the sails their stunning interpretation invigorates The Seagull and finds many layers of meaning, reminding of us, contrastingly, of the complexities of Hamlet and the debt owed by Bette Davis, Joan Crawford and others in the creation of truly awful non-maternal divas.

A weekend country house party, a young man on a doomed mission to impress his mother, a famous act...

Read more of the review

Latest User Review

No reviews yet

Click here to add your review