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Anton Chekhov is one of the big, bad playwrights — the ones with the proper names that swing around some weight. He’s part of a staggering pantheon of old, white names that make people tut knowingly and nod whenever they’re mentioned.
What doesn’t help his writing much is that translation from Russian into English tends to leave it stark and unnatural.
Chekhov is supposed to be a dissector of life, a writer who sought to portray human and universal truth. Yet there is something about the stilted language of his translation that rings false, with curious word choice often slapping you in the face like an unexpected fish. It causes all the characters’ individual voices to bleed together, making them all sound like the same mincing, overblown windbag. The natural rhythm of speech is lost somewhere in translation.
In The Vortex Theatre’s production of Chekhov’s “The Seagull,” it seems it’s the actors’ burden to make themselves sound alive. Charles Fisher accomplishes this swimmingly: Not a single line gets away from him. Jennifer Loli, although her part is relatively small, has a natural ease that makes her believable and enjoyable to watch.
But the cast is large and the overwhelming majority of the characters are indistinct. The play is nebulous, and the many relationships and crossed social wires are vague and difficult to identify. This distracts heavily from the drama and intrigue of the play. Even the exposition-heavy final act — during which the play jumps two years ahead and attempts to explain everything that’s happened — and the strangely redundant final line of the play make the overall writing seem clumsy and puzzled.
Essentially, “The Seagull” comes down to four characters: two couples. Konstantin, played by Paul Hunton, is a young, angsty writer and lover of the ingenue actress Nina, played by Amanda Machon. Konstantin’s mother Arkadina, an aged actress who cares little for her son, is played by Yolonda Maria Knight. Arkadina’s lover Trigorin, an older writer with an esteemed reputation, is played by Mark Hisler. Nina leaves Konstantin for the much more enticing and considerably older Trigorin, who beds her and impregnates her with a child who dies rather quickly. Nina returns suddenly to Konstantin and tells him of her broken life, after which he kills himself.
Chekhov called it a comedy.
Setting seems rather important to the piece, but the minimalist staging added more to the haziness of the ongoing action.
“The Seagull” is performed in the theater-in-the-round manner, in which the audience surrounds the stage on four sides. This is supposed to create an intimate atmosphere, but somehow it serves to alienate the audience from the actors. There is almost no set or backdrop to imply location. The costumes are simple: suits and ties and dresses. The actors are often hard to hear. You could make connections between the claustrophobia felt by the characters and the enclosed setup of the audience, but the intimacy is somehow lost. It makes you wonder if the drama would have been more powerful if you’d had a different seat.
Of the four principle characters, the women prove to be more compelling and interesting, even if I wanted to find some way to identify with the writer characters. Normally, there can be much insight in writing that directly discusses writing, but here there was not much humanity. The men lack charisma and their deliveries fall flat. Machon’s portrayal of Nina’s crushing fall is heartfelt and emotional, but the overall conflict and drama is difficult to care about or be invested in.
With plot and character preparation and the proper seat, there’s no reason why the play shouldn’t pull at your heartstrings. There are even bits to laugh at as well. Chekhov provides much — as long as you have the palate and appetite to digest it.
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“The Seagull”
The Vortex Theatre
2004½ Central Ave. S.E.
Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m.
Sundays at 2 p.m.
Runs through Feb. 24
$18 general admission
$10 student rush, sold five minutes before curtain if seats are available
For tickets and reservations,
visit “VortexABQ.org”:http://www.VortexABQ.org
or call (505) 247-8600.
