A lovesick man trails the object of his affection,
peppering her with questions.
"Why do you always wear black?" he asks, referring
to her funereal attire.
"I am in mourning for my life," she replies
sullenly.
This exchange from "The Seagull" voices the despair
so prevalent in Anton Chekhov's turn-of-the-century Russian plays, in
which people brood over dashed dreams and misplaced affections. At the
same time, it conveys the laugh-out-loud absurdity of everyday human
behavior.
This duality is conveyed gloriously in a production
of "The Seagull" by the Matrix Theatre Company, the Melrose Avenue
group that has attracted a cadre of well-known television actors who
shares roles, swapping characters and performances in ever-changing
patterns.
The cast includes Barbara Babcock ("Dr. Quinn,
Medicine Woman"), Robert Fox-worth ("Falcon Crest"), Charles Hallahan
("Grace Under Fire"), Sharon Lawrence ("NYPD Blue"), Cotter Smith
("Equal Justice") and Jeffrey Tambor ("The Larry Sanders Show").
Set in 1890s Russia, "The Seagull" takes place on a
country estate where glamour and romance hold sway whenever the
well-known actress Arkadina visits her brother, Sorin. Things aren't
as glamorous as everyone would like them to be since few of the
characters are living up to their dreams.
Arkadina fancies herself a great lady of the stage,
although she's clearly a second-rate talent. Her 25-year-old son,
Konstantin, is a writer who sets out to dazzle the world with
his bold, new ideas — only to realize he's a
no-talent hack. And Konstantin's girlfriend, Nina, faces an equally
rude awakening as she pursues an acting career.
To complicate matters, most even-one falls in love
with someone who doesn't love them in return. Konstantin is devoted to
Nina, who grows increasingly distant. Arkadina throws herself at
Trigorin, the famous author she has invited to the estate, while he
puts the moves on lovely, young Nina. Meanwhile, the estate manager's
daughter, Masha (the woman in black), pines for Konstantin, while a
bumbling schoolteacher, Medvedenko, follows her like a devoted puppy —
hoping she'll eventually notice he's there.
The seagull of the title — which Konstantin shoots
on a whim — becomes symbolic of the characters whose dreams are
blasted out of the sky.
At a recent performance, Babcock played Arkadina;
Kurt Deutsch portrayed Konstantin; Julia Campbell played Nina; Smith
played Trigorin: Tambor portrayed an affable but self-important local
doctor; and Hallan-han played the blustering estate manager.
Directed by Milton Katselas, the performance took
viewers on a roller-coaster ride from mirthful giddiness to darkest
tragedy. It was dominated not by the big-name stars, but by a pair of
up-and-comers — Deutsch and Campbell. Deutsch was particularly
effective in the play's final moments, as Konstantin calmly stared off
into the distance while his dreams shattered noisily around him. He
had the accepting, sacrificial look of Christ in a religious painting.
The story felt remarkably contemporary, thanks in
part to a witty translation by Brussels-born playwright Jean-Claude
Van Itallie.
Katselas and his designers underscored the play's
continuing relevance by putting it in a nameless and frankly
theatrical context. The stage was bare until shortly before the
performance, when stage hands matter-of-factly arranged birch trees
and rustic outdoor furniture on the stage. And the costumes were a
mishmash of periods and styles, from the turn of the century to the
present.
Thus, viewers could let their minds run free. As
the youthful Konstantin and Nina faced a future of limited
opportunities and thwarted hopes, for instance, it was easy to equate
their plight with that of today's Generation Xers.
And, of course, one couldn't help but realize that
unrequited love and dashed dreams are as common today as ever.
-
WINNER, 1994 L.A. Drama Critics Circle Award:
