Seagull, Chaika Theatre, ACT Hub, 10-21 April

 

This is my third time seeing a production of "Seagull" in the theatre (plus seeing the 2017 film, which I'd almost forgotten and I suggest the rest of you do too). Like most Chekov, it gets deeper each time you see it, with different takes widening the rich characters and their self-destructive choices. Of the four major plays, this is the one where the four lead characters are all artists (two writers, two actresses), and where there are a lot of discussions about what the theatre should be, along with a lot of misaligned love, petty jealousies, the challenges of running a country estate and a pervasive sense of gloom. 

In this production, it begins with the Hub's first outdoors performance for acts one and two, as we are on the gardens of the estate owned by Sorin and managed by Shamrayev, to join the audience for Konstantin's play, as Masha and Semyon set up the small stage during the pre-show and suddenly elide into Chekov's dialogue naturally - as the various arrivals bring with them their desires, whether it be escape from an impossible family situation for Nina, to form a new family unit for Polina, to disturb the compacency of his mother for Konstantin, or simply to do a little fishing for Trigornin. The clash of these desires will serve them for the next two and a half hours until a dramatic climax as some are shattered and some accommodate what's coming to them as best they can.  

It's a rich cast, led by Karen Vickery as the egotistical yet also concerned mother Irina, aware of the distance between her and her son yet trying to find a way to bridge it. Joel Horwood as Konstantin makes the frustrated young writer a bundle of misdirected passions, acting out in all kinds of inappropriate ways, whether to their mother or to the girl of their affection. Natasha Vickery as Nina shows desire and naive wonder in a quest to get away from her family and into the world of ideas and art. Michael Sparks gives Dorn as a man whose gentle compassion is messily comingled with his inability to take responsibility for anyone around him. Meaghan Stewart is a marvel as the mixture of rage, cynicism, self-harming practicality, determination and sudden puppy-love that is Masha. Amy Kowalczuk projects gentle melancholy and yearningness as Polina. 

Chekov only gets richer each time you see a production, so if you haven't started the habit, this is the time to start, and if you have, this is a good time to explore deeper.