On January 20 of this year, I bemoaned the fact that I did not have a private jet to zip over to London to see the latest production of The Seagull, starring Kristin Scott Thomas as Arkadina which sounded so delectable and brilliant – the reviews were universal raves, the kind that emanate across the Atlantic. It doesn’t happen with all plays – but it happened with that one.
Well, it’s now come to Broadway – with a couple of cast changes – but it is essentially the same production. It only plays through December 21 so I have to scare up the cash (not an easy thing right now) to go see it. Some productions are once-in-a-lifetime opportunities – like seeing Christine Ebersole in Grey Gardens. This is one of those moments.
Ben Brantley’s review just came out and it’s one of those goosebumpy reviews that makes me realize: Okay, better buy a ticket NOW because once the entirety of New York reads that review they’ll all want tickets as well. It’s a thoughtful examination of what works in the play and I also like his thoughts on Chekhov:
As willfully idiosyncratic as Chekhovâs characters are, they are all cut from the same nubbly cloth of exasperated loneliness and misfired intentions. Chekhovâs work sees the human condition as an exercise in frustration that is both comic (âHa! They canât get what they wantâ) and tragic (âSob! They can never get what they wantâ). And he works both sides of that equation more successfully than any playwright.
I also was excited to read this bit about the actress playing Nina:
Ms. Mulliganâs delectably dewy but determined Nina is just the girl to rouse him from his lethargy. More than any actress Iâve seen, she captures the raw hunger within Ninaâs ambition, the ravening vitality as well the vulnerability. This is no mere fluttery sacrificial seagull. Thereâs a reason that the mother-fixated Konstantin falls in love with her.
Such a hard part. I’ve seen the play many times, and I have to say: I have never seen a good Nina. Natalie Portman was terrible in the production in Central Park – she just did not know how to use her instrument (her acting talent, I mean) in that context … it couldn’t be big enough, sad enough, pathetic enough … She is skilled in film-acting, but she failed miserably on a stage where she needed to project – not just her voice, but her spirit and energy – out to the cheap seats. Not only that – but the matter of interpretation is always difficult with Nina – but you have to “interpret” it – you can’t just say the lines and hope the play fills in the rest for you. Nina goes through a shattering journey. She is destroyed. Yet … “I am a seagull” … she survives. Her innocence is tarnished forever, and she also has realized that she does not have the talent that she burns to have … she can never be a Duse. It’s a terrible revelation. Tough part. I am excited to see this Nina – because Nina has the potential to be the most wrenching memorable person in the play … if played well!!
And here is Brantley on Kristin Scott Thomas – as Arkadina – the manipulative scene-stealing mother/big star in the play … her performance was hailed so strongly in the British production that it basically just seemed UNFAIR that I couldn’t see it:
Ms. Scott Thomasâs performance is funnier, sadder and braver than it was in London. Arkadinaâs fears of fading away assume an almost clownish aspect as she scampers coquettishly to show she could play a girl of 15 or literally grovels in self-abasement before Trigorin. Striking grandly theatrical postures from the age of Duse and Bernhardt, this Arkadina knows that the only way to get attention in life is to be larger than life. Ms. Scott Thomas draws her with a vividness that is equally free of mercy and malice.
“equally free of mercy and malice”. Pretty damn fine observation there.
I loved this photo of the production because to me – her pose (speaking of Duse or Bernhardt) looks like something you would see in an old daguerrotype … of a production at the old Yiddish theatre in New York … or one of those smoky vaudeville houses where occasionally a play of substance would be put on … What I am trying to say is that her attitude in the photo below is not modern. Nor should it be. This is an actress from the 19th century. As Arkadina is.
sheila…so funny that this was your opening post this morning. i was just about to email you and see if you wanted to get tx and go see this together! it sounds wonderful and is being universally applauded by critics.
What a great moment to capture. There is actual movement in that photograph. I love pictures like that.
Okay, reading THIS post made ME wish that I had a private jet and could zip over to NYC this instant to see this production. My favorite production of the Seagull that I’ve seen…it was at a theater company in LA that I used to be a member of, they’d done workshops of the play for about three months before they actually cast it — so actors would cycle in and out of roles throughout the rehearsal process and then it was finally cast and they went through a real rehearsal process. I was working as a dramaturg on a different show there, but I would watch the workshops as often as I could…anyway, everyone had put so much time into the production that people had a lot invested in it, and on opening night, the actress playing Nina had a breakdown two hours before curtain. She just had a total breakdown, I wasn’t there, I don’t remember all of the details, but she melted down and then LEFT. Two hours before curtain. And she had an understudy (who hadn’t had a single rehearsal, but had been there watching every night), but the understudy wasn’t there that afternoon and no one at the theater could reach her…so then, at 7:30, the understudy strolls into the theater and people pounce on her: “you’re on!” With thirty minutes to prepare. And I wouldn’t say that she was “perfect,” but she was pretty damned good, and I think that the whole understudy-who’s-been-working-on-this-play-for-three-months-but-hasn’t-been-given-her-due-yet-and-is-now-thrust-into-the-spotlight thing, I think that added a layer to the performance that was oh so very Nina.
Anywayyyyy, I desperately want to see this production. You must blog about it after you’ve seen it! Get your tickets!
Allison – did you get my email? Yes, let’s go to the show!!
Erik – Holy crap, now THAT is a production I would love to have seen!! I can imagine that all of her nerves about playing Nina “right” would be PERFECT for the actual role – because isn’t Nina’s whole anxiety about being a great actress? It must have been amazing! That understudy must have wet her pants at the throngs pouncing on her screaming, “You’re on!” My God!!
I hope you can score some tickets. I saw one of the previews and was knocked out by Carey Mulligan. She’s absolutely heartbreaking and funny and truly gutsy.