Hilary Bell’s adaptation of Chekhov honours his spirit while embracing those awkward pauses.

State Theatre Company of South Australia

February 25, 2014

As the audience filed down back stairs into STCSA's rehearsal rooms and scenic workshop, the anticipation was palpable. No one knew what to expect and no one could have guessed they would be greeted with such a stunning transformation of space.

Flanked by audience seating on both sides, and stacked with elements of the set at the far end, the stage, with it’s simple but interwoven wooden floor, stands bare, bold and beautiful. Domed lights hang artistically from the ceiling and others beam in from the end wall. Music laps the space and in a raised corner of the room, partly hidden from view is the cast; listening to the music and watching the audience find their seat. Even before it starts, it has begun.  

From the onset, with Masha (Matilda Bailey) preparing the stage for the play, within the play, with Medvedenko (Matthew Gregan) lovingly and pathetically watching on, it is clear that this adaptation by Hilary Bell will honour the comedy of the piece Chekhov so believed in. I’m not sure he’d ever envisaged the entertaining use of deck chairs, but with the infamous seagull to come, why not!  

Notoriously, when The Seagull opened in 1886, the reviews of the first night were devastating. It transpired there were many understandable explanations for the hostility of the crowd and in the following nights the audiences enthused, however the initial bad press damaged Chekhov’s self-belief as a writer. His reaction seems rather ironic given that so much of The Seagull is about artists’ struggles with their work and how it is received, balanced by the considered and fair voice of the doctor, Chekhov’s daily profession.  Thankfully, further work on the play with Stanislavski, whose psychological realism and ensemble playing coaxed the buried subtleties from the play, ensured its enduring legacy.

Indeed it is the strength of the whole ensemble in this production that makes it so enjoyable and memorable. Every character is embodied superbly and all contribute sensitively to the tragic and comic elements Chekhov so intended for the piece. There are many touching moments, such as Masha’s breakdown to Dorn (Terrance Crawford) his comforting, fatherly stand; Sorin’s (Paul Blackwell) soft and endearing ramblings; Shamrayev’s (Chris Pitman) simple and hilarious retelling of stories; Polina’s (Lizzy Falkland) desperate appeal to Dorn; Nina’s (Lucy Fry) heartbreaking reveal of her reality; Medvedenko’s departure to walk six miles in the snow to his child; Trigorin’s (Renato Musolino) perfectly pitched unbottling of frustration; and the genuine look of love between mother and son as Arkadina (Rosalba Clemente) replaces Konstantin's (Xavier Samuel) bandage. The pauses, perfectly normal whilst so awkward and uncomfortable, deserve a mention too.   

The strength of the ensemble is clear in between each act too. In these moments the cast rearrange chairs, sweep floors and set tables, all whilst humming and singing and moving amongst one another. They are aware of each other just enough to coexist; one sees the patter of everyday lives mixed with occasional dreams too. It is choreographed delightfully.

There are also some great touches, such as the rain and the snow, which add to the simplistic elegance of the production. And the lake, an important element of the story and the backdrop to Chekov’s set, is evocatively portrayed through a large side door with smoke and lights. So, with the seating arranged in the traverse in this production, the main backdrop for half the audience was the other half opposite them. I found myself oscillating between staring across at the sea of faces, intrigued by their reactions, and then being so drawn into the action in front of me, it was as if no one was there at all. It proved curiously effective and fitting.

When The Seagull re-opened in December 1898, after Stanislavsky’s input, one audience member wrote to Chekhov and said, “In the first act something special started, if you can so describe a mood of excitement in the audience that seemed to grow and grow. Most people walked through the auditorium and corridors with strange faces, looking as if it were their birthday and, indeed, (dear God I'm not joking) it was perfectly possible to go up to some completely strange woman and say: "What a play? Eh?"

Entertainingly, with this production, something very similar happened, albeit with a modern twist. From the start, just being in the space, the audience knew something special had started. During the interval, the bar was full of excited murmurs, and afterwards the chatter on social media began with facebook posts and tweets claiming “top theatre”, “beautiful work”, “I’m still buzzing”, “get a seat while you still can.”

So, over 100 years on, this tale of love and longing that so elegantly display the poetry of everyday life, still captures our imagination and hearts. This production, beautifully brought alive by director Geordie Brookman, marks a great start to The Adelaide Festival program as well as setting a very high bar for STCSA’s 2014 season. Given Chekov’s desire to push the boundaries of conventional theatre, he would undoubtedly have loved it too.

The Seagull is at Adelaide Festival Centre until March 16.