Details

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.

Cast/Performers

Penelope Wilton (Arkadina), Nigel Terry (Medvedenko), Richard Johnson (Dorn), John Light (Konstantin), Richard Pasco (Sorin), Barry Stanton (Shamrayev), Justine Waddell (Nina)

Creatives/Company

Author: Anton Chekhov
Company: Royal Shakespeare Company
Adapted by: Peter Gill
Director: Adrian Noble
Design: Vicki Mortimer
Lighting: Paule Constable
Sound: Mic Poole

The Seagull

The Seagull (Play) production archive for QTIX code T795251018. Details of all The Seagull archived productions can be found under the QTIX code: S4870

Archive Listings

18 Apr 00 to 13 May 00	Barbican Centre West End, Greater London Performance Details => Venue archive
4 Apr 00 to 8 Apr 00	Theatre Royal Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear Performance Details => Venue archive
27 Mar 00 to 1 Apr 00	Sheffield Theatres Sheffield, South Yorkshire Performance Details => Venue archive
21 Mar 00 to 25 Mar 00	Theatre Royal Bath, Bath & North East Somerset Performance Details => Venue archive
13 Mar 00 to 18 Mar 00	Milton Keynes Theatre Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire Performance Details => Venue archive
7 Mar 00 to 11 Mar 00	New Victoria Theatre Woking, Surrey Performance Details => Venue archive
29 Feb 00 to 4 Mar 00	Theatre Royal Norwich, Norfolk Performance Details => Venue archive
26 Jan 00 to 24 Feb 00	Swan Theatre Stratford-Upon-Avon, Warwickshire Performance Details => Venue archive

Reviews

User Review: 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.

User Review: 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.

User Review: 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.

User Reviews

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.

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.

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.

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.