Seagull: True Story, directed with comic flair by Alexander Molochnikov [Mark Senior]

SEAGULL: TRUE STORY
Marylebone Theatre
4 stars

Eli Rarey’s Seagull: True Story is inspired by the real-life experiences of Russian director Alexander Molochnikov, who was forced into exile after speaking out against the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Before his departure, Molochnikov had worked at the Bolshoi Theatre, where he directed Carlo Menotti’s operas The Medium and The Telephone, and staged an acclaimed ballet adaptation of Chekhov’s The Seagull.

After expressing support for Ukraine on Instagram, he was abruptly cancelled and his works banned.

This bold metatheatrical reimagining of Chekhov’s classic blends autobiography and satire, opening cabaret-style with a Master of Ceremonies (Andrey Burkovsky) assuring us that everything is “fantastic”.

We follow Kon (Daniel Boyd) an ambitious director attempting to stage The Seagull at the Moscow Arts Theatre with his mother (Ingeborga Dapkunaite) cast as Arkadina. As Kon’s artistic integrity is increasingly compromised, he decides to flee before it’s too late.

In the United States, he encounters new challenges, chiefly financial, that hinder his ability to work freely. His makeshift ensemble ends up rehearsing in an empty office, with little hope of presenting their show even off-Broadway.

His mother urges him to return home, while his friend, Anton (Elan Zafir), a dramaturg who remains in Russia, is imprisoned in a Siberian gulag. There’s thwarted passion too, as Burkovsky’s shady theatre producer steals Kon’s love interest, Nico (Stella Baker).

Directed with manic energy and comic flair by Molochnikov, Seagull: True Story is sprawling and occasionally chaotic, yet remains an urgent work. Its rich visual language conveys the chilling effects of both censorship and financial constraint on creative expression.

It’s hard not to be swept along by the cast’s exuberance with Ohad Mazor’s dynamic choreography and live music from Shukhrat Turdikhodjaev underscoring the action.

Recommended.

Until October 11
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