Performance

VenueTheatre Royal
Other spaces: Studio, Stage 2
TownNorwich
CountyNorfolk
From29th February 2000
To4th March 2000
WhenTues-Sat 19:30, Thurs/Sat Mats 14:30
What is currently on at Theatre Royal (V72)

The Seagull

T795251018
Written in 1896 this is a comic play of aspiration and failure. On a summer's day in a makeshift theatre by a lake, a bold new play is to be performed. It is the work of a young, would-be playwright, Konstantin, who is searching for a new, more authentic dramatic form. The play stars his beautiful muse and neighbour, Nina. The assembled family audience includes his actress mother, Arkadina, who has just arrived from Moscow with the famous novelist, Trigorin. What happens during, and in the days immediately after, this play's first performance will change not just the course of the summer, but the lives of everyone involved, for ever after. This masterly meditation on love and art is both comic and tragic, and marks the birth of the modern stage.
Author Anton Chekhov


Archive :: production:T795251018, play:S4870, venue:V72

Production details

Reviews

Overall: 3.67
The Telegraph (11Jan01): Noble is keenly alert to the mixture of humour and piercing sadness in the script. Chekhov's portrayal of the cruel inequality of love, with a daisy-chain of unrequited lovers, is beautifully judged. Penelope Wilton, a great and undervalued actress, gives a merciless account of the ruthless selfishness of the actress Arkadina. 4
Evening Standard (11Jan01): I have rarely seen a production of The Seagull where Chekhov's designation of the play as "comedy" seemed more ironic or misplaced. Vicki Mortimer's inefficient, insufficient stage-set scarcely evokes the park-land estate, the lake-side where Konstantin stages his play, or croquet lawn. Noble's production instead concentrates its melancholy gaze upon Konstantin and Nina. Justine Waddell's riveting Nina is a gawky, awkward young thing, in the first flush of happiness. 3
The Times (11Jan01): [Richard Johnson] and a talented young actor, John Light, transformed a giggly audience into one that remained utterly rapt. Noble is able to fill any silences in Peter Gill s brisk new translation with emotional eloquence, and his cast are generous with telling detail. 4

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Company

Company Royal Shakespeare Company
Adapted by Peter Gill
Director Adrian Noble
Design Vicki Mortimer
Lighting Paule Constable
Sound Mic Poole
Performer Penelope Wilton (Arkadina)
Performer Nigel Terry (Medvedenko)
Performer Richard Johnson (Dorn)
Performer John Light (Konstantin)
Performer Richard Pasco (Sorin)
Performer Barry Stanton (Shamrayev)
Performer Justine Waddell (Nina)
CORONAVIRUS: All UK venues closed on 16th March 2020, restrictions were lifted on 19th July 2021. Please note that iUKTDb archive listings between March 2020 and July 2021 may not be accurate as we did not receive details of all rescheduled and cancelled shows.

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