smallhobbit | The Seagull (Reply)

And so from a musical in the afternoon to a Chekhov play in the evening. The Young Chekhov season at the National Theatre has been much touted and since I like the National, and it's close to where I was staying I decided to go. They're even showing all three plays in the season on certain Saturdays for those who are particularly keen - that wouldn't have been possible for me.

My summary of Chekhov would be everyone's miserable and someone dies. I've seen a few good performances, but probably more which haven't particularly grabbed me. I think I've come to the conclusion that I won't bother with his plays unless there's an actor I particularly want to see.

There was nothing essentially wrong with this production, and the actors were good, but the things which particularly stuck with me weren't the play itself, but what might be termed the add-ons. Before the performance begins Konstantin spends about quarter of an hour fiddling with the staging he will be using for the play he will have performed for friends and family. There is water on the stage, as the house is set by a lake, so a number of the characters spend time paddling through it. And the interval was prolonged, because there were problems with a scene change and a door was sticking on a complicated set.

I don't regret seeing the play, but I'm glad I wasn't seeing all three in a day.