The Seagull - Arlekin Players Theatre

Photo credit: Irina Danilova

The Seagull – Arlekin Players Theatre

Review by James Wilkinson 

The Seagull is presented by Arlekin Players Theatre. Written by Anton Chekhov. Directed by Igot Golyak. Scenic Design: Nikolay Simonov. Costume Design: Nastya Bugaeva. Lighting Design: Jeff Adelberg. Composer: Jakov Jakoulov. Choreographer: Victor Plotnikov. Script Translation: Ryan McKittrick, Julia Smeliansky and Laurence Senelick. 

You are reading the words of a critic who is waving the white flag of surrender. At intermission for The Seagull at Arlekin Players Theatre, I ran into a local theater artist who jokingly asked me what the critical consensus was. “I don’t know,” I said. “I’m still trying to work it out.” After the show, during the car ride home, the friend who had accompanied me to the performance asked me what I thought of it. “I don’t know,” I said. “I’m still trying to work it out.” And now, hunched over my laptop several days after having seen the show, what did I think of it?

…I don’t know. I’m still trying to work it out.  

It’s not that it’s a bad production, in fact there’s enough good stuff here to make the show worth recommending (most notably some stellar performances from the actors). It’s that it’s a frustratingly opaque show, one so stuffed with contradictions that it left me paralyzed, unable to formulate any sort of response. I don’t think I was the only one. I practically broke my neck straining to hear the conversation behind me at intermission. “It’s a very surrealist show,” a woman said to her friends using that tone of voice people use when they want to sound intelligent. “It’s meant to be a comedy,” said the woman next to her, half asking as much as stating. “I think it’s partly meant as a satire of the Russian people,” said their male companion, though he didn’t sound too sure of himself. On and on they went, twisting themselves into knots trying to figure out how they were supposed to be framing the production. I should have checked in with them post-show. Perhaps they could have helped me. I just was lost. And to be clear, this isn’t a situation where we’re supposed to be enjoying art for art’s sake. There are far too many deliberate decisions being made here for me to entertain that idea. But where are those decisions leading us? The production keeps you in a constant state of second guessing yourself as an audience member and somewhere, buried under all of this, is Chekhov and the play he wrote.

I’m split on whether or not it’s better to go into Arlekin Players’ production familiar with the original play by Anton Chekhov (yet another instance of me being unable to make up my damn mind about this show). On the one hand, there’s enough of a story here for someone to walk in cold. On the other hand, having a working knowledge of what’s been edited and reworked feels somewhat necessary. Here, we begin not on the edges of a Russian country estate, but in a theater space where our players have assembled. The infamous question that opens The Seagull is asked to no one in particular: Why are you wearing black? Answer: I’m in morning for my life (it’s worth nothing that every single character and in fact, the entire stage, is completely draped in black). We then hear a collection of quotes from Chekhov’s own letters detailing his frustrations with the process of writing The Seagull before the actors are assigned their roles by the director and Chekov’s original story begins.

It’s a slightly condensed version of The Seagull. Some of the side plots (like Masha’s role) have been trimmed, bringing our attention to the main storyline. Young writer, Konstantin (Elliot Purcell) has produced a play that’s going to be performed by the object of his affection, Nina (Irina Bordian) for a group of his mother, Irina’s (Anne Gottlieb) friends. The play, which has Konstantin reaching for new modes of artistic expression, is a dismal failure. Those who watch are only confused and unsatisfied. The humiliation paralyzes Konstantin, leaving him unable to produce anything else. Nina, meanwhile, falls hard for Irina’s boyfriend, the famous writer, Boris Trigorin (Nael Nacer) setting up a love square (not a triangle, but a square) between the four characters. It could be the stuff of high emotional drama, but director Igor Golyak seems to be more interested in focusing on the aspects of the play that detail frustration with creative creation and artistic blockage. One of several inserted bits (not in Chekhov) has the director trying to block a scene with two actors while giving them contradictory notes that leave the actors bewildered as they try to give him what he wants.

The production is certainly taken with the idea of performance and that’s where its meta element comes in. The audience is positioned in two groups on either side of the performance space so that you’re always not only watching the play, you’re watching the play be watched. The actors will also occasionally take a seat to watch the show in process and at the start, an “audience member” is pulled on stage to help complete the cast. And if that’s not enough, the set by designer Nikolay Simonov includes a false proscenium that moves up and down the stage, suggesting that the boundaries of performance and illusion are in a state of constant flux. This is where I struggle with in the production, because that flux is what prevents you getting your feet on firm ground. It feels as though the production is often gesturing towards an argument without ever letting it build to the point where you can grasp it. The production is always shifting, much the way it is for the actors walking on the sand covering the stage (The set by Simonov is beautiful and lighting designer Jeff Adelberg gets some striking images out of it). Speaking post-show with my friend, he posited that the scene where the director struggled to give clear instruction was meant to poke fun at the director. But was it? Given that the scene comes in the middle of a play where a character (Konstantin) is ridiculed for trying to create new artistic forms, you can also take that scene as showcasing the director’s frustration with the world not being able to breathe life into his artistic vision. One is an act of humility and the other an act of ego (and again, the fact that the director in this scene is the director of the production only adds to the hall of mirrors that keeps us from knowing which way to go).

I caught Arlekin Players’ last production, The Stone, which was also directed by Golyak and presented in a very similar manner. Because that play was already telling its story in a very fractured, distancing way, I thought that the presentation of that piece got to be a bit too much for the story. I think that The Seagull is more successful, possibly because Chekhov’s more linear narrative gives us a bit more to hold onto as the production spins out. And here’s where I throw up my hands, because despite my reservations and ambivalence about the work (or maybe because of it), I have to admit that the production managed to get a hold on me during its run time. It practically demands your attention as it moves through its ever-shifting dreamscape. I think that part of the reason for this (because I haven’t completely lost my powers of reasoning), is the fantastic acting team. As Konstantin, Elliot Purcell nails the frustration that comes with stunted artistic development. Anne Gottlieb gives a lovely performance as Irina, managing to find all kinds of emotional layers in the character. Irina Bordian is a live wire as Nina. She throws herself into the role with the reckless abandon of a runaway train. You can see the fire burning behind the eyes and practically feel it coming off of her.

So have I convinced you? One way or the other? If any of the above has scared you off, I’m going to suspect that you’re not the type of theater-goer this production is going to connect with. If I’ve sparked your interest, even a bit, then go. It’ll give you plenty to chew on, even if you’re not too sure of the nutritional content.

The Seagull is presented by Arlekin Players Theatre November 8-December 8, 2019.

For tickets and more information, visit their website: www.arlekinplayers.com

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