THEATRE REVIEWS

The Seagull by Anton Chekhov is set in late eighteenth century Russia. Konstantin, the main character, played by Ben Hicks, is a delusional writer and part of a tragic love triangle. The main characters frequently find themselves gathered around a large picturesque lake, gathering inspiration and enjoying good company.

I entered the auditorium and was met by a stage, fully lit by lighting designer Jason Taylor, pictured as a Russian country estate garden by the lake. Yakov, played by David Covey, also acting as the stage hand, was erecting a small outdoor stage in preparation for Konstantin's imminent performance and so the play casually began. Under Tom Stoppard's direction the actors were positioned rather unusually on the stage throughout the scenes, in one instance some of the actors had their backs to the audience whilst playing cards and at other times characters were situated very near to the front of the stage. This gave a naturalistic feel to the performance and instilled the feeling that I was spying in on this other world.

Every actor produced a compelling performance; even Yakov who did not utter a word, certainly had a presence. Special praise is given to Jane Gurnett who played Arkadina, Konstantin's egotistic mother, who gave a dynamic and powerful performance. Equal applause to Amy Rhiannon Worth playing Masha, who has unreciprocated love for Konstantin, consequently plunging her into the depths of depression. Her hilarious interpretation of being inebriated on Russian vodka received a well deserved round of applause from the audience.

The costumes were authentic and the set by Liam Doona was very striking, especially in the second act as the stage was decorated as the drawing room, dimly lit with a diffuse red light mirroring the fateful end to the play.

Only one criticism in that a couple of scenes seemed to be drawn out, although I did find myself to be completely engrossed for every other moment of the performance. © SG

“The Seagull” is in Sheffield on the 3rd to the 7th May, 2004.

Is there an Air Conditioning certificate prominently displayed in your theatre foyer stating the date of manufacture of the appliance and when the system was last inspected and serviced - if not, complain to the theatre management.