The Seagull
Fri, 15 June 2007, 11:25 amGordon the Optom3 posts in thread
The Seagull
Fri, 15 June 2007, 11:25 am‘The Seagull’, this contemporary version by Tom Stoppard, of Anton Chekhov’s wonderful plays, is presented by Curtin’s Hayman Theatre students and is showing at the Subiaco Arts Centre until Saturday 16th June. The play begins at 8.00 pm, and for the weak bladdered, it has two acts, the first is one and a half hours the second about 25 minutes.
Konstantin, a spoilt simpleton, is madly in love with an actress Nina (Jess Degouw) who is not totally enamoured with him. Then his Prima Dona actress mother, Arkadina (Kathryn Delaney) and her famous author-husband Trigorin (Daniel Gillett) arrive on the scene. Trigorin then also falls in love with Nina.
This is the tale of a dysfunctional Russian family in the late 19th century which has been transposed, with several anachronisms, to 21st century Europe. In the process much of the sensitivity and unique style of the Russian writers has been lost. Unlike the contemporary Othello, currently showing at Rechabites Hall, which managed to retain the compassion and original quality.
The cast has several well-proven actors, but sadly only two or three came anywhere near the mark in this play, Gillett and Delaney, and new comer Jess Degouw. The Good the Bad and the Ugly! The movements and body language were generally very good, but despite a piece of dialogue in the script saying ‘the voices should have a lower octave’, this quality was missing in most of the cast and made a big difference to the feel of the play.
Scandinavian and Russian plays, even the comedies, are all about subtlety and sensitivity and in many departments these points were virtually missing. Sorry, disappointed.
Konstantin, a spoilt simpleton, is madly in love with an actress Nina (Jess Degouw) who is not totally enamoured with him. Then his Prima Dona actress mother, Arkadina (Kathryn Delaney) and her famous author-husband Trigorin (Daniel Gillett) arrive on the scene. Trigorin then also falls in love with Nina.
This is the tale of a dysfunctional Russian family in the late 19th century which has been transposed, with several anachronisms, to 21st century Europe. In the process much of the sensitivity and unique style of the Russian writers has been lost. Unlike the contemporary Othello, currently showing at Rechabites Hall, which managed to retain the compassion and original quality.
The cast has several well-proven actors, but sadly only two or three came anywhere near the mark in this play, Gillett and Delaney, and new comer Jess Degouw. The Good the Bad and the Ugly! The movements and body language were generally very good, but despite a piece of dialogue in the script saying ‘the voices should have a lower octave’, this quality was missing in most of the cast and made a big difference to the feel of the play.
Scandinavian and Russian plays, even the comedies, are all about subtlety and sensitivity and in many departments these points were virtually missing. Sorry, disappointed.