Theater in NYC: Chekhov’s The Seagull in Aleksey Burago’s Production

The Russian Arts Theater & Studio’s lively production of Anton Chekhov’s The Seagull retells a timeless story of despair, vanity, and the fleeting power of success; EXTENDED till June 1, 2019 at Pushkin Hall

The world of Chekov’s contemporaries masterfully recreated in the script by the genius playwright is vividly staged by the esteemed theater director Aleksey Burago of The Russian Arts Theater & Studio. It’s an all too familiar story of the misunderstandings and missed opportunities accentuated by the ultimate insensitivity and selfishness of the characters tied together by circumstances and family connections.

Ranging from the veteran theater actors to those who are just launching their artistic careers, the cast in this enthusiastic and engaging production makes Chekhov’s drama accessible and relatable. And while each of character is thinking of doing good to others, egotism subverts their actions and leads to a disastrous finale.

 

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The Seagull was the first of Anton Chekhov’s four major plays written in the second half of the 1890s. The play’s reliance on an ensemble cast of diverse, fully developed characters was a novelty at the time. It is written for four women’s parts and six men’s all with multiple intersections and relations to each other. The conflict of unanswered love intertwined with the acting and literary ambitions are placed at the center of what Chekhov himself labeled as a comedy. But it doesn’t end happily. The drama is in the subtext while important issue are understated and danced around.

The play’s premiere in St. Petersburg in 1896 was a disaster with boos from the audience that intimidated  the actress Vera Kommissarzhevkaya who played Nina so much that she lost her voice. Chekhov himself had to leave the theater and hide backstage.

A year later the play was brought to Moscow where it was staged by Konstantin Stanislavski, the pivotal theater director. With Stanislavski’s very specific directions to the actors, the production became one of the greatest successes in theater history. In 1909 the play was translated into English for Royalty Theater in Glasgow. In New York, The Seagull was staged for the first time in 1938 at the Shubert Theater.

Aleksey Burago, artistic director and founder of The Russian Arts Theater & Studio, brings years of successful work in theater in Russia and in the US. He studied with the world famous director Pyotr Fomenko at the Moscow Academy of Theatre Arts and has directed numerous critically acclaimed productions in Europe and America. Created in 2004 with an idea of passing on Russian theatrical and directorial tradition, The Russian Arts Theater & Studio staged numerous plays winning several awards and nominations. Its latest adaptation of M. Bulgakov’s The Master and Margarita had two sold-out runs.

This year’s production of The Seagull continues the classical theater tradition. The acting by the cast, while adroit and appealing, demonstrates a gamut of skills. Strong male actors deliver solid and entertaining performances with Alex Malyi’s energetic Shamrayev and Tom Schubert’s meek and seductive Trigorin are particularly noticeable. Among female characters, Di Zhu stands out in her portrayal of pitiful Masha. Tatyana Zbirovskaya as Arkadina is effective and powerful. The rich sound effects and musical arrangements add the leisure flare to the otherwise serious and deep conflicts at the heart of the play. They also help with the phonetic variations from the multilingual cast.

 

The play’s running time is 2 hours and 50 minutes; in English.

 

Date: April 2 – June 1, 2019                  BUY TICKETS 

 

Venue: Pushkin Hall, 165 W 86th St, New York, NY 10024