The cast of ‘The Seagull’ at Theatre Three. (Photo by Jeffrey Schmidt)
While a pillar of classic theater, Anton Chekhov’s The Seagull can be heavy on the drama. Blake Hackler’s adaptation for Theatre Three gave the play a major refresh that was accessible and relatable. Led by Joel Ferrell with a hefty notable cast of 10, The Seagull succeeded and soared in this new version.
Among the characters, the drama centered on the young budding playwright Konstantin and his mother Irina, an actress holding on to her fame as tight as she can. She brings the author Boris to the Sorin estate who Konstantin immediately finds as a rival. His muse and somewhat love interest Nina is highly impressed and ultimatley drawn to Boris.
Caleb Mosley’s control of Konstantin was a healthy mix of brooding and youthful optimism and a fresh face to the area. He held his own with stage veteran Christie Vela as his domineering egocentric mother Irina. The two were such opposite sides of the same coin that their relationship percolated with a familial authenticity. Vela brought such refinement to Irina. She does more without dialogue through judgy facial expressions or dismissing people by gestures.
The cast included Bill Hass as Irina’s frail brother Pyotr Sorin. Hass’ naturalistic acting grounded his scenes with everyone else who often oversee the character’s sickly and drunken habits. Robbie San Juan played the affable playboy doctor Yevgeny. A sort of contrast to Hass, San Juan delivered a dynamic blustery performance that dominated the stage without taking away from his castmates. The undertones of attraction between his character and the young Konstantin were a lovely touch whether by design or not.
Amid the large cast, both Francesca Santodomingo and Kimberly Turner stood out ini their respective roles as Masha and Nina. Santodomingo had remarkable aptitude at being both emo and hilarious. Her pain of disappointment and frustration was so evident that it radiated throughout the house. Turner’s fresh-faced Nina was the opposite. Turner began her role with a pasted naive smile as the budding but not great actor Nina. When real life and heartbreak happen, Turner stripped Nina down to broken glass. Both of these performances were startling and amazing.
The cast featured a gruff but friendly Jakie Cabe as the estate manager Ilya and his wife Polina played with broad spectrum of humor and humanity. Ilya’s flustered moments were a slight joy to watch. Logan Rhys Hallwas played an understated Boris to Vela’s brazen Irina and Nina’s naivete. Hunter Wilson-Leal played Semyon, the teacher in love with Masha. An earnest performance, but the character’s departure to walk home was perhaps one of the funniest moments onstage ever and Wilson-Neal’s underplaying it made it gold.
The play runs through April 28.
–Rich Lopez