Susan Angelo and Rajiv Shah (Photo by Ian Flanders)
Reviewed by Madison Mellon
Theatricum Botanicum
Through October 5
Directed and adapted by Ellen Geer, The Seagull: Malibu reimagines Chekhov’s classic in 1970s Southern California, trading the original’s rural Russian estate for a sun-drenched Malibu compound. The 1970s setting lends the early scenes a vibrant, playful aesthetic and a nostalgic charm, but beyond this surface appeal, the deeper purpose of the change remains unclear. Coupled with characterizations that feel somewhat flat and one-note, this adaptation doesn’t ultimately provide much new illumination into Chekhov’s work.
In The Seagull, struggling young writer Constantine (Christopher Glenn Gilstrap) seeks to revolutionize theatre with his bold new play, performed for family and friends at his mother Irina Arkadina’s home. Arkadina (Michelle Jasso), a famous actress clinging to her waning stardom, is dismissive of her son’s work and openly flirts with the more commercially successful writer Trigger (Rajiv Shah), to whom Constantine’s love interest Nina is also drawn. Over the course of the play, romantic entanglements unravel, ambitions are dampened by reality, and idealism slowly gives way to disappointment.
The Malibu setting works best in the play’s early moments. The re-envisioning of Arkadina as a fading theatre star trying to survive in the film industry is clever and entertaining, and Willow Geer’s disaffected, pot-smoking Masha injects humor into the proceedings. Yet beyond these flourishes, the purpose of the update is murky — more like a nod of familiarity to an L.A. audience than a fully integrated concept. Climate change is mentioned intermittently, and is the subject of Constantine’s writing, but these mentions don’t go beyond basic lip service (Uncle Vanya, for instance, lends itself to a much deeper exploration of environmental themes). Passing remarks about 70s beauty standards and name-drops like Roman Polanski feel more like period markers than thematic drivers. Retaining much of Chekhov’s language also creates a tonal disconnect; the formal dialogue mixes awkwardly with the laid-back Malibu aesthetic.
Several performances do stand out: Daniel Reichert lends warmth and dimension to Dr. Dore, Geer’s Masha is sharply funny, and Michelle Jasso as Arkadina is a believable aging diva. However, many of the characterizations remain overly stagnant throughout. Christopher Glenn Gilstrap’s Constantine leans heavily on petulance and self-pity, with little sense of the idealism or creative fervor that makes his downfall tragic. Caroline Quigley’s Nina never fully sheds her naive girlishness, so her final confrontation with Constantine lacks the emotional weight the scene demands. The result is a climax that fizzles, capped off by a gunshot effect so faint that it’s more a polite pop than a bang.
The Seagull Malibu isn’t lacking in skill or competency: the staging uses Theatricum Botanicum’s unique outdoor space with creativity, and the effort to make Chekhov’s work more accessible to a modern audience is admirable. Yet while this adaptation gestures towards contemporary ecological and social issues, those references remain cursory and underexplored. Without a strong vision for what it adds to or reimagines in the original, the result feels more nostalgic than timely or vital.
Theatricum Botanicum, 1419 N. Topanga Canyon Blvd., Topanga. Running in rep, see website for dates; https://theatricum.com/ Running Time: two hours with one intermission.
