Take an iconic play, overhaul it completely, add some pop-culture referents, slot in a marquee name or two, and shazam, guaranteed audience bait! In his contemporized riff on the Chekhov classic, set in present-day artsy/bougie Woodstock, Thomas Bradshaw has pulled off just such a coup – but at what cost and to what end?
The result is more rip-off than homage. In this parodic overhaul (deceptively labeled an adaptation), the plot outline adheres to the original, but scarcely a phrase – or emotional beat – survives. Jettisoned amid the jokiness is anything beyond an occasional flash of human authenticity. The inherent pathos of the play yields to sensationalism and insistent yuks.
After an indulgent prelude in which the actors “warm up” on Derek McLane’s three-quarter thrust stage (vaguely accoutered as a suburban patio), the performers get down to business.
[Read Frank Scheck’s ★★☆☆☆ review here.]
Aspiring playwright “Kevin” – the Konstantin role, played with admirable conviction throughout by Nat Wolff – is intent on wowing his actress mother’s influential circle with an epic oeuvre. However, “Irene” (Irina) – played with confident if shallow flair by Parker Posey – is not about to subject her colleagues to Kevin’s latest doodle: “I told them they should wait,” she blithely advises the 26-year-old contender, stuck at the aspirational tier. “I’m acting as your agent, sweetie. Everyone will see it when it’s fully workshopped and ready to go. “
Kevin’s play, performed by his crush, Nina (Aleyse Shannon, undistinguished), is Insta-ready at best. In lieu of Konstantin’s grandiose, jejune divagation on the mysteries of the universe, we get an over-sharing monologue culminating in a preposterous peep show. Would a self-styled young romantic so heedlessly pimp out his beloved, even in the interest of wowing the grown-ups?
Nina’s self-pleasuring demo (discreetly screened) leaves Irene’s consort, the famous writer “William” (Trigorin) – played smoothly by Ato Essandoh — panting for an encore. Having secured William as her “life partner,” Irene remains confident in her mature allure, exhibiting little evidence of the tension that might accompany an older actress’s dwindling marketability. On the contrary, Irene openly boasts about her “enhancements.”
Despite the unflattering schmattes furnished her by designer Qween Jean (all the costumes appear at odds with the moneyed milieu), Posey infuses her role with an unassailable confidence. Her diva comes across as oddly sturdy. Forgoing flights of egocentric fancy, Posey’s Irene is practicality incarnate. When Irene tells Kevin, in essence, to buck up, her counsel sounds reasonable and heartfelt. The thing is, it shouldn’t. We need to see more of Irene’s inner fragility, her all-consuming, deeply destructive narcissism.
Bradshaw lards his dialogue with wink-wink allusions, perhaps hoping to flatter the audience into imagining themselves “in the know.” Do we really need throwaways like “If you run into Audra, tell her hi”? He also interpolates a bit of racial tension (Nina and William identify as Black) but doesn’t delve very deeply.
Only one actor, beyond Wolff, appears interested in plumbing the psychological underpinnings that the original author explored. Hari Nef plays the epically depressive, lovesick Masha (here called Sasha) with plenty of snark but also flashes of genuine feeling. When Sasha seizes a couple of surplus painkillers that Samuel/Sorin (David Cale) has pocketed – perhaps hoping to cut short the purgatory of “hospice” – her concern appears so deep, so palpable, that suddenly we’re in fully human mode, frailty laid bare. That moment alone makes up for all the authorial showboating engulfing this rare flash of authenticity.
Perhaps the best (the only?) way to enjoy this bagatelle is to abandon any notion of fidelity or depth and roll with the jokes. After all, The Seagull has survived innumerable treatments – respectful and otherwise – over the past 128 years. The play still has insights to impart, though they’re hard to discern here.
The Seagull/Woodstock, NY opened February 28, 2023, at Signature Center and runs through April 9. Tickets and information: thenewgroup.org
