Abby Elizabeth for Curtains Up
It looks as though award winning playwright, Peter Hinton made the right choice when he decided to adapt Anton Chekhov’s ‘The Seagull.’ He also did a brilliant job with casting.
Adaptations are rarely better than the original. However, Hinton’s innate ability to read between pretext, subtext and then everything in between demonstrates his talent of re-telling a story while still remaining true to its creator. Instead of re-writing brilliant works, he interprets them for the modern world.
Curtains Up, along with other media sources were given special access to a preview of The Seagull which debuts February 2nd and runs until the 16th.
The scene cast long-time friends and renowned actresses: Diane D’aquila and Lucy Peacock. Peacock plays Arkadina an aging and successful actress who is unable to grasp the concept of mortality or selflessness. While D’aquila plays Sorina, Arkadina’s sister. A crabby older woman with ailing health and a soft heart.
In the original version, Sorina is actually Sorin; Arkadina’s brother. However, this switching of the genders exposes the complex relationships in Chekhov’s play in an entirely different way. Hinton also stays true to Chekhov’s method of directing. Each gesture, flinch and subtle movement is part of the dialogue. Nothing occurs onstage without reason.
Peacock and D’aquila have beautiful stage chemistry together and are both mesmerizing to watch. You can tell they enjoy working alongside each other.
The scene CU was given privy to was centered on the plot of the story. Arkadina is worried about her son, a failed playwright. Sorina, however is asking her sister to stop being so hard on her nephew, who is obviously in a depression. The two argue as sisters do, each one making the other feel guilty over what she has said and done.
The entire play takes place at Sorina’s cottage; in the countryside. She is ill and the fresh air is supposed to improve her health. Tired of being alone and bored she invites an old group of friends (including her sister) to join her for a small holiday get together. The story is about people and all the major events happen offstage so that we are not distracted by manic actions. Chekhov’s talent was that he knew people and he understood the importance of subtext. He observed that what people said and what they did contradicted how they felt. His observations of everyday life, and his creation of the dramedy is what made The Seagull one of his most successful pieces.
After previewing the very entertaining scene with D’aquila and Peacock, I must say I am really looking forward to seeing the play in action! Chekhov would have loved the strange humour surrounding the adaptation as well, he was a fan of irony. For instance: The Seagull being performed at The Segal starring a Peacock… You can’t get more Chekhov than that!
For more information you can visit the segal centre website www.segalcentre.org
