‘SEAGULL:TRUE STORY’: (left to right) Eric Tabach, Elan Zafir & Andrey Burkovskiy. Photo: Kir Simakov.

SEAGULL: TRUE STORY
By Eli Rarey
Created & directed by Alexander Molochnikov
Through May 3, 2026
LuEsther Hall at the Public Theater
425 Lafayette Street
https://publictheater.org/productions/season/2526/seagull-true-story/

By Scott Harrah

Seagull: True Story ranks among the most topical productions now playing in New York, following sold-out runs in 2025 at New York’s La MaMa and London’s Marylebone Theatre. It reflects the grim realities of war in both Ukraine and the Middle East in 2026. However, it avoids being a straightforward political drama. Instead, it filters these tensions through a darkly comic and theatrical lens.

From Russia, with no love lost

Alexander Molochnikov creates and directs the production, while Eli Rarey provides the script. Together, they draw on real-life experience. They reshape it into something surreal and meta-theatrical. In Moscow in February 2022, Kon (Eric Tabach),  a young director, attempts to stage The Seagull as political forces close in and the “special military operation” in Ukraine unfolds. As a result, the lines among art, identity, and survival begin to blur.

As a result, the piece feels immediate and disorienting. War does not sit in the background. Rather, it invades the creative process. It shapes what artists can say, who can speak, and what risks they must take.

Performing on the edge

The ensemble handles the shifting tone with precision. They move easily from satire and drama to absurdity.

Most notably, Andrey Burkovskiy dominates as the emcee. He steals nearly every scene. His manic delivery, sharp timing, and fearless physical comedy drive much of the show’s momentum. His pratfalls land perfectly. Moreover, his farcical take on a Russian entertainer feels both hilarious and pointed. The irony adds another layer, since Mr. Burkovskiy himself is Russian.

In addition, he delivers a series of rapid transformations. At one moment, he plays an American producer. Next, he appears as a shirtless Vladimir Putin riding a horse. Then, he dances wildly at a disco. These moments heighten the show’s absurdist edge and keep the audience off balance.

Meanwhile, Eric Tabach anchors the production as Kon. He plays the director who risks everything by leaving Russia (and his work behind) to pursue freedom in New York. Mr. Tabach brings clarity and emotional weight to the role. As a result, he grounds the production’s more chaotic elements. He captures both ambition and loss with precision.

Similarly, Zuzanna Szadkowski delivers one of the evening’s most moving performances as Olga, Kon’s mother. At first, she appears cold and demanding. She plays an imperious Arkadina in The Seagull. She criticizes her son and rejects his decision to leave Russia. However, her emotional distance gradually softens. After visiting him in New York, she begins to understand his choice. In the second act, Ms. Szadkowski reveals remarkable depth. Her performance becomes layered, intimate, and deeply affecting.

Meanwhile, Gus Birney brings vibrant energy to Nico. She captures the spirit of a restless, bohemian actress searching for purpose. Ms. Birney blends spunk with emotional openness. Consequently, Nico feels authentic rather than idealized. In her final scene with Kon, Ms. Birney delivers one of the production’s most powerful moments.

Finally, Elan Zafir creates a haunting portrayal of Anton. His performance builds with quiet control. As the character’s fate unfolds, Mr. Zafir underscores the production’s darkest themes. He avoids excess and instead delivers a restrained, deeply human performance that lingers.

The ‘Method’— and the madness

The pacing feels deliberately frenetic. At times, it becomes experimental. Occasionally, it turns interactive. For example, the emcee invites the audience to shout a two-word expletive (best experienced live).

At the same time, the production moves quickly across locations. It jumps from Moscow to a Manhattan subway station to a Bushwick loft. These shifts create constant motion. They also mirror the instability within the story.

Even so, director Alexander Molochnikov maintains control. He keeps the production cohesive, even during its most chaotic moments. He also draws strong performances across the ensemble. In addition, he makes the most of Eli Rarey’s clever and thought-provoking script, even when it feels messy or fragmented.

At first, this reviewer approached the production with hesitation. Chekhov has never been a particular favorite. A prior Broadway Seagull starring Kristin Scott Thomas left a lasting impression, particularly for its plodding pace. However, this production quickly shifts expectations. Rather than revere Chekhov, it challenges him. It pokes fun at The Seagull. At one point, a female character named Pickle (Keshet Pratt) pointedly asks of Chekhov, “So we’re just worshipping at the feet of some dead white male author?”—a line that neatly encapsulates the production’s irreverent stance toward theatrical tradition. The play also sends up the traditions of the renowned Russian theater practitioner Konstantin Stanislavski.

At times, the production may remind audiences of Cabaret. In both works, performance unfolds against a backdrop of political unease. Likewise, the presence of LGBTQ identity within a repressive environment adds urgency. In particular, a gender-bending character named Gorgeous (Ohad Mazor) appears in androgynous clothing—something that would likely not be tolerated in Putin’s Russia, where even expressions of gender nonconformity are policed. These elements deepen the emotional and political stakes.

The price of freedom

Ultimately, Seagull: True Story succeeds because it balances urgency with invention. The script feels sharp and incisive. It confronts difficult realities without losing its sense of humor.

At the same time, the direction remains innovative and controlled. Together, these elements create a production that feels both timely and surprising.

In a season of familiar titles, Seagull: True Story stands apart. It speaks directly to the present moment and the price of freedom. More importantly, it asks why—and how—we continue to create art during times of crisis.

Published March 31, 2026
Reviewed at press performance on March 28, 2026.

‘SEAGULL: TRUE STORY’: Elan Zafir & Gus Birney. Photo: Kir Simakov.

‘SEAGULL: TRUE STORY’: Eric Tabach & Zuzanna Szadkowski. Photo: Kir Simakov.

‘SEAGULL: TRUE STORY’: Andrey Burkovskiy. Photo: Kir Simakov.

‘SEAGULL: TRUE STORY’: Eric Tabach & Elan Zafir. Photo: Kir Simakov.

‘SEAGULL: TRUE STORY’: Gus Birney. Photo: Kir Simakov.

‘SEAGULL: TRUE STORY’: Elan Zafir. Photo: Kir Simakov.

‘SEAGULL: TRUE STORY’: Ohad Mazor, Myles J. McCabe & cast. Photo: Kir Simakov.

‘SEAGULL: TRUE STORY’: The cast. Photo: Kir Simakov.

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‘UNCLE VANYA’: Steve Carell. Photo: Marc J. Franklin.

UNCLE VANYA
By Anton Chekhov
A new version by Heidi Schreck
Directed by Lila Neugebaeur
Lincoln Center Theater at the Vivian Beaumont
150 West 65^th Street
https://www.lct.org/about/beaumont-theater/

By Scott Harrah

The Russian dramas of Anton Chekhov are never easy plays for American audiences to endure for numerous reasons. Unlike the classics of William Shakespeare, they were never originally written in English so anything poetic and florid about the language is often lost in the proverbial translation. Anton Chekov himself supposedly said Uncle Vanya was intended to be a comedy. If he indeed wanted the play to be interpreted for laughs, Mr. Chekhov would probably love the fact that this latest version—with an updated book by What the Constitution Means to Me playwright Heidi Schreck—at Lincoln Center stars none other than The 40-Year-Old Virgin himself, Steve Carell of “The Office” fame. Mr. Carell is about as American as one gets, and he’s one of our best comic actors. He gets laughs from the audience whenever he’s on the stage.

One might need to down a few vodkas to actually see this drama, first produced in Moscow in 1899, as a comedy, but Vanya (originally subtitled Scenes from a Country Life) and the plays of Chekhov in general are so lugubrious, talky and long that they have always been ripe for parody. Remember the hilarious Chekhov spoof from the 2012 Broadway season by the late Christopher Durang, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike? However, this 21st century interpretation of Uncle Vanya is hardly a parody. It is more like a lighthearted Cliff Notes version of a Chekhov classic with contemporary comic touches.

It is hard to feel much sympathy for the Russian aristocracy portrayed in Uncle Vanya because they are so affluent, immoral and self-indulgent, bored with their summer days in their country home. The play is really about upper-class people who are afraid of wasting their lives, but do not bother to do anything meaningful or pragmatic to better themselves.

The story focuses on a couple from the city, Alexander (Alfred Molina), a professor in poor health, and his gorgeous young wife, Elena (Anika Noni Rose). They have traveled to the rural Russian village to check on their country estate and let everyone living there know they intend to sell the property. Vanya lives on the estate with his niece Sonia (Alison Pill) and he isn’t happy about the visit from Alexander, who is Vanya’s brother-in-law and Sonia’s father. Vanya manages his late sister’s estate with Sonia’s help.  Vanya isn’t amused at all about all the hoopla everyone makes over the professor and his trophy wife. Vanya and the hard-drinking doctor Astrov (William Jackson Harper) are both hot for Elena. Sonia has a crush on the doctor.

Uncle Vanya is a drama originally written in four acts, with a plot that features everything from a love triangle to an attempted murder. Heidi Schreck does a fine job of trimming some of the narrative blather and updating the text for modern audiences, highlighting much of the humor Anton Chekhov supposedly inserted into the story. Mimi Lien’s stage design is a bit of a head-scratcher. The Vivian Beaumont has a vast stage and, as StageZine’s late co-publisher and managing editor David NouNou often said, it is difficult to produce any play in this theater without a lavish set because otherwise, the actors seem like they are being swallowed whole by a stage decorated with sparse scenery. Ms. Lien’s set sometimes resembles a dark city park or a campground.

Director Lila Neugebauer does her best to get fine performances from the stellar cast. Mr. Carrell is his usual charming self, and he definitely has the acting chops for drama (as anyone who saw him play a Marcel Proust-loving, neurotic gay man in Little Miss Sunshine back in 2006 can attest). The fact that Steve Carell is doing Chekhov is funny all by itself, but he approaches the role here with everything he has, and audiences will love him. He is droll and angst-ridden and gives one of the most original interpretations of the title character to date.

It is always a pleasure to see Alfred Molina on the Broadway stage, and this is a far different role than some of his previous shows, such as his Tevye in the 2004 revival of Fiddler on the Roof and his Tony-nominated roles as artist Mark Rothko in Red and Yvan in Yazmina Reza’s Art. Mr. Molina is more than convincing as ailing professor Alexander.

Another noteworthy performance is given by Broadway veteran and Tony-winning actress Jayne Houdyshell as Maria, Vanya’s mother. Ms. Houdyshell is consistently outstanding, and it’s too bad she didn’t have a larger role here.

The gorgeous Anika Noni Rose as Elena is another actress who is no stranger to Broadway. Ms. Rose starred in Tony Kushner’s Caroline, or Change and as Maggie the Cat in a revival of an all-Black production of Cat On a Hot Tin Roof opposite Terrence Howard, as well as A Raisin in the Sun. She has both the beauty and the onstage sexual chemistry to get all the guys pining for her. Ms. Rose skillfully plays up every aspect of Elena being a bored wife to her much-older husband.

William Jackson Harper, best known for his role on the NBC TV sitcom “The Good Place,” is delightful as the boozy doctor Astrov. Alison Pill’s Sonia has the right mix of vulnerability and naiveté.

Did Chekhov really think Uncle Vanya was a comedy? The same has been said about Chekhov’s most famous drama The Cherry Orchard, and this critic reviewed two mind-numbingly inept productions of that classic both on and off Broadway over the past 20 years. Let’s leave the question of “Russian drama as comedy” up to the academics. This new, abridged version of Uncle Vanya, with many modern comic touches by playwright Heidi Schreck and director Lila Neugebauer, won’t win over Chekhov purists, but it is accessible enough for present-day audiences to enjoy.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published May 15, 2024
Reviewed at May 12, 2024 performance

‘UNCLE VANYA’: Alfred Molina & Anika Noni Rose. Photo: Marc J. Franklin.

‘UNCLE VANYA:’ William Jackson Harper & Anika Noni Rose. Photo: Marc J. Franklin.

‘UNCLE VANYA:’ William Jackson Harper & Alison Pill. Photo: Marc J. Franklin.

‘UNCLE VANYA’: The cast. Photo: Marc J. Franklin.

The post ‘Uncle Vanya’: Chekhov with a modern touch appeared first on StageZine.

‘THE PRESENT”: (Left to right) Richard Roxburgh, Cate Blanchett, Chris Ryan & Susan Prior. Photo: Joan Marcus

THE PRESENT
By Andrew Upton
After Anton Chekhov’s Platonov
Directed by John Crowley
Through March 19, 2017
Ethel Barrymore Theatre
243 West 47th Street
(212-239-6200),www.ThePresentBroadway.com

By David NouNou

At best Chekhov is tedious. At worst is the lugubrious The Present, presented by the Sydney Theatre Company in what can only be described as the whining babblethon of this or any other year. It was Chekhov’s first play written when he was 18 and was untitled and went unpublished. There was good reason for that; it was originally five hours of text whittled down to three by Andrew Upton (Cate Blanchett’s husband). It could have been whittled down a lot more.

Had it been presented in its original setting, Russia of 1887, it would still have been rambling but at least it would have made sense. Now it is set in Russia of the 1980s with New Wave rock music (the Clash and the Talking Heads) and thrown in is Haddaway’s club classic “What is Love?” from 1993, and a reference to Martin Scorcese, (the American director). At this point you give up and pray that Act II will be shorter and less absurd. Well, you’d be wrong; the storyline becomes a ridiculous soap opera and everyone’s acting really goes off the deep end. The ham here is served in abundance. Also to add to the ambiguity is the title The Present. Does it mean a gift or the present day? Trust me, don’t waste too much time trying to figure it out, because in the end it won’t make any difference.

As in any of Chekhov’s plays, all the characters are miserable for one reason or another but here they are not pining to be in Moscow. In this case, it is Anna’s (Cate Blanchett) 40^th birthday and all her friends/guests/suitors have come down for “a weekend in the country,” not the Sondheim song but at an old country estate that belonged to the old General, Anna’s much older dead husband. Among the suitors is the “bad boy” of the lot and also a college professor, Mikhail (Richard Roxburgh). The suitors have also brought their spouses/girlfriends. Needless to say, all the women have the hots for Mikhail and they all leave their spouses but his one true love is Anna. The rest of the characters are all negligible babbling fools, some talking endlessly about youth, and others about their miserable lives, and misspent youth.

Cate Blanchett is giving another one of her ball-busting, manipulating, frozen-queen performances, not much different from her 2012 role as Yelena in Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya at City Center. Richard Roxburgh as the married but still womanizing bad boy Mikhail—who incidentally played in Vanya with Ms. Blanchett—is too much in control, conniving and vain to be believable as the wastrel who has given up on life and is just in it for the hunt.

If you plan to see The Present, I recommend you bring three things with you: a Ritalin to keep you awake; a seat belt to strap yourself in, not for a bumpy ride but from fleeing the theater after Act I; and a flask of vodka (which the ad on TV purports that there will be plenty of drinking being done) to stay with the theme of the play or on the same wavelength as the characters or another beverage of your choice to alleviate the tedium.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published January 11, 2017
Reviewed at press performance on January 10, 2017

‘THE PRESENT”: Richard Roxburgh & Cate Blanchett. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘THE PRESENT’: (Left to right) Brandon McClelland, Richard Roxburgh, David Downer & Cate Blanchett. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘THE PRESENT’: Cate Blanchett & Richard Roxburgh. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘THE PRESENT’: Richard Roxburgh, Jacqueline Mackenzie, Chris Ryan & Eamon Farren. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘THE PRESENT’: Richard Roxburgh & Cate Blanchett. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘THE PRESENT: Richard Roxburgh & Chris Ryan. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘THE PRESENT’: Richard Roxburgh & (foreground) Brandon McLellan. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘THE PRESENT’: Eamon Farren & Martin Jacobs. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘THE PRESENT’: Jacqueline McKenzie & Chris Ryan. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘THE PRESENT’: (Left to right) Toby Schmitz, Richard Roxburgh & Chris Ryan. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘THE PRESENT’: The cast. Photo: Joan Marcus

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‘THE CHERRY ORCHARD’: (Left to right) Kyle Beltran, Tavi Gevinson, Diane Lane & Celia Keenan-Bolger. Photo: Joan Marcus

THE CHERRY ORCHARD
By Anton Chekhov
Adaptation by Stephen Karam
Directed by Simon Godwin
Through December 4, 2016
American Airlines Theatre
227 West 42nd Street
(212) 719-1300, www.roundaboutttheatre.org

By Scott Harrah

Anton Chekhov and his famous director Konstantin Stanislavsky must be rolling over in their graves regarding this misguided, unfocused adaptation of The Cherry Orchard. This revival is so inept that three questions arise immediately. Has it been produced as a vanity vehicle for Oscar nominee Diane Lane, who stars as Madame Lyubov Ranevskaya (she played one of the children back in a 1977 Lincoln Center revival with Meryl Streep and Raul Julia)? Or was it mounted because of a new adaptation by hot young playwright Stephen Karam, on the heels of his Tony Award-winning hit The Humans? Finally, why is Simon Godwin’s direction of the cast so haphazard and scattershot, with performances that are literally all over the place?

There is an ongoing argument in academic and intellectual circles about the true intent of The Cherry Orchard. Most theatergoers consider the four-act drama to be one of the greatest tragedies ever written for the stage. When first produced at the Moscow Art Theatre in 1904, director Konstantin Stanislavsky depicted a dark, lugubrious story of an aristocratic family, deeply in debt and about to lose their beloved estate. Most revivals have been true to the original Russian production, but some contend Chekhov was dissatisfied with the heavy-handed, gloomy tone the director infused into the text and the characters. Stephen Karam must believe—as some academics have pointed out over the years—that Chekhov intended the story to be a comedy because there are many humorous touches here, such as governess Charlotta Ivanovna (Tina Benko) hamming it up in some scenes, munching suggestively on a cucumber and doing card tricks and acting like a clown during a party.

Reinterpreting a classic like this may seem outrageous, but this is hardly the first production of Chekhov’s masterpiece with “comic” aspects. In 2005, an off-Broadway production at the Atlantic Theater (starring Brooke Adams) also played up the text’s more lighthearted moments, with equally dismal results. Whether New York audiences will agree that the story and its characters are funny is highly debatable. One simply cannot deny that the core of the plot itself is more heartbreaking than humorous.

Roundabout Theatre’s revival, directed by Mr. Godwin (a Brit who has directed numerous works at the National Theatre), features a stellar cast of Broadway and Hollywood veterans.

Diane Lane is Madame Lyubov Ranevskaya, the nearly bankrupt aristocrat who travels back to Russia from Paris to deal with the sale of her family’s orchard. Yermaoli Lopakhin (Harold Perrineau.), a onetime serf from the estate who has recently become a successful businessman, offers a simple solution to the problem—sell the orchard and build summer cottages on the land. Madame Ranevskaya and her ineffectual brother Gaev (John Glover) quickly reject the plan.

The Cherry Orchard is known more for its many subplots than one simple storyline. Chekhov created a complicated tapestry of dramatic incidents, existential philosophy and everyday encounters instead of a single narrative thread. The only villain here seems to be the changing socio-economic landscape of tsarist Russia—one that is quickly disassembling all former notions, privileges and traditions of the upper classes.

The cast has some distinguished names indeed, including the great Joel Grey (as the servant Firs), and Broadway notables Celia Keenan-Bolger as Varya (Ranevskaya’s daughter) and Tavi Gevison (recently in The Crucible) as Anya.

Scott Pask creates a fine set, complete with Calder-style mobiles that represent the cherry trees, and costumes by Michael Krass are lavish indeed

Ms. Lane certainly shows off her emotional range an as actress here, but her performance, like so many in the cast, never gels with the others because director Simon Godwin doesn’t rein in any of the actors, and it’s frustrating trying to figure out the myriad acting styles on display here. Mr. Grey’s portrayal of Firs is the only one that comes close to anything moving in this otherwise confusing and forgettable evening. Blame both Stephen Karam for this head-scratching adaptation and Mr. Godwin for his puzzling direction (or lack thereof). This new “spin” on The Cherry Orchard is simply the pits.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published October 20, 2016
Reviewed at press performance on October 19, 2016

‘THE CHERRY ORCHARD’: (Left to right) Harold Perrineau, Diane Lane & John Glover. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘THE CHERRY ORCHARD’: Diane Lane. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘THE CHERRY ORCHARD’: (left to right) Tavi Gevinson, John Glover & Celia Keenan-Bolger. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘THE CHERRY ORCHARD’: (left to right) John Glover, Diane Lane & Joel Grey. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘THE CHERRY ORCHARD’: Harold Perrineau & Diane Lane. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘THE CHERRY ORCHARD’: (left to right) John Glover, Joel Grey, Diane Lane & Chuck Cooper. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘THE CHERRY ORCHARD’: (Left to right) Harold Perrineau, Diane Lane, John Glover, Joel Grey & Chuck Cooper. Photo: Joan Marcus

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