'Seagull: True Story' Off-Broadway review — what happens when political art doesn't fly?
Read our review of Seagull: True Story off Broadway, written by Eli Rarey and inspired by the true experiences of creator/director Alexander Molochnikov.
Summary
- Seagull: True Story is a political satire play inspired by director Alexander Molochnikov's attempts to stage Chekhov's The Seagull in Russia
Imagine staging Anton Chekhov’s The Seagull in Moscow just as Putin invades Ukraine — what could go wrong? Seagull: True Story offers the semi-autobiographical story of creator/director Alexander Molochnikov attempting to do just that. “Attempting” is the key word here, since the influence of Russia's Ministry of Culture prompts the Moscow Art Theatre to intervene, enforce changes, and provide Molochnikov's onstage avatar, the director Kon (Eric Tabach), a statement of apology for being critical of Putin and the war. Kon refuses, fleeing to New York to stage his production. Highlighting the horrors of artistic censorship under authoritarian regimes, the play is something of a parable: a true story, but also a warning, a cautionary tale for everyone watching here in the U.S.
Meta-theatrical references abound, and those more familiar with The Seagull will enjoy tracing the thoughtful references and analogous characters. Chekhov’s playwright character Konstantin Treplev becomes Kon. Both have actor mothers, with Kon’s mom Olga (Zuzanna Szadkowski) cast as Konstantin’s mom, Irina Arkadina, in his production. Kon’s friend and dramaturg is fittingly named Anton (Elan Zafir), a Chekhov figure. As in The Seagull, Kon falls for an actress, Nico (Gus Birney), whom he casts to play Nina, her counterpart. Andrey Burkovskiy, as a delightfully entertaining emcee, also plays the manager of the Moscow Art Theatre and a big-shot American Broadway producer. All this doubling creates fun layers of meaning for viewers to pick apart and enjoy, and it’s clear how deeply Molochnikov and playwright Eli Rarey have thought about the material.
Despite this consideration and the show's important message, though, the delivery is not always successful. Much of the heavily stylized production is hit or miss. A hit is the nonrealistic set design, which uses found objects — painting tarps that become flapping seagull wings, a strip of tape as a subway platform — inventively and effectively. Some bigger swings don’t work, like awkward, spoken-word poems set to music and a heavy-handed montage about New York City cliches, redundant for a production in NYC.
The play varies widely in tone, often landing on skewering satire. This is often funny, but when it comes to mocking the downtown experimental theatre scene, it feels more critical than necessary. Nico introduces Kon to a Bushwick ensemble (with names like Sorry and Pickle) that will put on his Seagull — if he does things like change Chekhov’s lines to say one character wants to “unalive” himself because "suicide" is triggering. Sure, it’s easy to poke fun at these things, but in a play about government censorship, why make woke Brooklynites into its clowns?
In the end, Kon’s New York production of The Seagull is the joke, an impossible dream dashed in both countries, so he signs up to direct an artistically empty spectacle to advance his career. The play creates parallels between how both Russian censorship and American greed make it nearly impossible to create real art. Despite some misfires and unevenness, the play offers a crucial lesson: Russian authoritarianism may seem like the clear evil, but America’s obsession with turning art into profit can be similarly stifling for artists who want to make political work.
Seagull: True Story summary
Kon, a Russian director, stages a stylized production of Anton Chekhov’s classic play The Seagull (starring his famous actress mother) at the Moscow Art Theatre in 2022 at the start of the Ukraine War. The Russian government isn’t a fan of Kon’s style or anti-war message, and it attempts to censor him and it. Outraged, he flees to New York, where he desperately tries to stage his production, albeit without funding, a producer, professional actors, or even a theatre. Across his career and the two countries, he learns how difficult it is to make authentic art when bigger forces — be they authoritarianism or capitalism — get in the way.
What to expect at Seagull: True Story
After ascending the three flights of stairs (or waiting for the elevator), you’ll enter The Public Theater's LuEsther Hall. Alexander Shishkin’s play-within-a-play set features a classic red curtain and mini-dressing rooms with lit mirrors, next to a band at stage right that foreshadows just how much music there will be. You also may be sitting next to the creator and director (and real-life inspiration) Alexander Molochinkov, who does a pre-show speech and joins the curtain call. There’s a lot of Russian humor in the play, and some Russian singing and dialogue — which many audience members at my performances picked up on and seemed to enjoy quite a bit.
The play, like Chekhov’s The Seagull, deals will depression and suicide and includes mentions of intense material about authoritative governments, including criminalization of free speech, incarceration, and torture. The play runs 2 hours and 30 minutes, including an intermission.
What audiences are saying about Seagull: True Story
Audiences at early performances have had mixed responses to the play online, though they have consistently praised the staging.
- “I really enjoyed the play. The interplay between The Seagull and the modern events works, so does the juxtaposition of Moscow and New York. Though the story is quite tragic, the tone of the play is rather light and the humor lands most of the time. Design, props, etc. is all about how to make more with less (or nothing), and I think it works. The plot is not very original (and quite familiar to many in the audience), but the presentation was top-notch. Definitely worth seeing.” - Show-Score user Andrew4018
- “I did not like Seagull: True Story but with a caveat - I thought the script itself was bad, but the staging was magnificent - in the future I’d love to see the director’s work… that isn’t written by him.” - Reddit user u/brutalblvd
- “As someone who doesn’t particularly love Chekhov’s original play, I actually enjoyed this one. It was sometimes messy, a bit too raw for a big stage, and certain parts felt too slow. But the production definitely had soul and brought something new.” - Mezzanine user Anastasiia Taranina
Who should see Seagull: True Story
- Fans of Anton Chekov's classic works — including The Cherry Orchard, Three Sisters, Uncle Vanya, and of course, The Seagull — will delight in all the references to his famous plays.
- Fans of scrappy theatre come together may admire seeing a troupe make magic out of basic, found materials.
- The play will likely appeal to people following the news, especially about controlling governments.
- Fans of satire that pokes fun at the often ridiculous, melodramatic antics of theatre people can enjoy the play’s more comedic moments.
Learn more about Seagull: True Story off Broadway
Seagull: True Story may have imperfections, but its urgent message forces audiences to confront hard truths about the contentious relationship between politics and theatre.
Photo credit: Seagull: True Story off Broadway. (Photos by Kir Simakov)
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