Interludes

VIEWPOINTS – Chekhov and art: Theater-makers’ endless fascination with THE SEAGULL

• By drediman
• April 4, 2016
• No Comments

During the last month, New Yorkers were privy to a rare occurrence. Concurrently in the city, theatergoers were able to take in two adventurous riffs on Anton Chekhov’s The Seagull. Suffice it to say, these two new works, Stupid Fucking Bird by Aaron Posner and The Seagull and Other Birds devised by members of Ireland’s Pan Pan Theatre Company, made for intriguing companion pieces. Both plays share a fascination with two aspects of of Chekhov’s seminal play. First is The Seagull’s satiric play-within-a-play, with which Konstantin strives to attain a new and authentic form of theatrical expression (interestingly, the searing Olivier-nominated People, Places and Things by Duncan Macmillan starts off with a play-within-a-play, which ironically is one of the final scenes from The Seagull). Second is Chekhov’s jarring fourth wall-shattering monologues within the context of an otherwise naturalistic dramatic setting.

I recently caught Stupid Fucking Bird (RECOMMENDED) by Aaron Posner at the Pearl Theatre Company. I had previously seen the play two years ago at the Woolly Mammoth in Washington, DC and was fascinated by it – Mr. Posner’s work is less an adaptation of Chekhov’s play than a willful reinvention of it. Therefore, Stupid Fucking Bird admirably works both as an independent piece of playwriting, as well as an homage to Chekhov’s play (Michael Kimmel and Lauren Pritchard’s wonderful Off-Broadway musical Songbird – ANOTHER adaptation of The Seagull – attempted to do the same thing earlier this season). Mr. Posner here amps up the meta-theatrical games only hinted at by Konstantin’s play-within-a-play by making the entire play that we’re watching itself the subject. But instead of using the meta-theatrics to satiric ends, Mr. Posner’s play is an angst-ridden look into the soul of the artist. What struck me about the play upon second viewing is its severe cynicism – it seems to suggest that the creation of new forms of theater is an impossibility. The Pearl production is directed with forcefulness by Davis McCallum and is acted with brio (kudos particularly to some powerful work by Christopher Sears as Conrad and Joe Palik as Dev). After an artistically lackluster last season, I’m happy to report that the Pearl is back on track with this production and their daring, shape-shifting take on A Midsummer Night’s Dream earlier this season, a co-production with the the smart, exciting folks at Bedlam.

The other radical adaptation of The Seagull that I recently caught at the risk-taking Abrons Arts Center was The Seagull and Other Birds (SOMEWHAT RECOMMENDED), which is devised and performed by Ireland’s gleeful, hard-working Pan Pan Theatre Company.  In many ways, despite its scrappy experimental approach to theater-making, the play is oddly a more faithful retelling of Chekhov’s underlying play than Stupid Fucking Bird. Also, unlike Mr. Posner’s play, one is less likely enjoy this piece without being familiar with The Seagull. However, audience members who were well-versed in the play were treated to a hit-or-miss experimental retelling of the play that often broke the fourth wall to bask in some heavy audience participation. Fourth wall-breaking audience-directed internal monologues, this is not. Part of the joy – and frustration – of The Seagull and Other Birds is its depiction of improvisation as an invariably necessary ingredient in the the creation of art. It also explodes the subtle satire of Konstantin’s play-within-a-play and makes it the unmistakable tone of the piece. Ultimately, as much as I enjoyed myself at the Abrons, poking fun at great art (or the creation of art) doesn’t make for great art itself.

STUPID FUCKING BIRD
Off-Broadway, Play
The Pearl Theatre Company
2 hours, 30 minutes (with one intermission)
Through May 8 

THE SEAGULL AND OTHER BIRDS
Off-Broadway, Play
Pan Pan Theatre Company at Abrons Arts Center
1 hour, 20 minutes (without an intermission)
Closed