Marylebone Theatre – until 12 October 2025
Reviewed by Claire Roderick
3***
Alexander Molochnikov brings his bold and witty off-Broadway production to London. Inspired on his own experiences and presented in cabaret style with an MC (Andrey Burkovskiy) presenting the show, the play begins at the prestigious Moscow Art Theatre. Kon (Daniel Boyd) is directing his mother, Olga (Ingeborga Dapkunaite), in Chekhov’s Seagull, and his directing style of exploring emotions is frustrating some of the cast, who just want him to tell them what to do. As he guides them into an exhilarating celebration, everything comes to a halt as the news breaks that Russia has invaded Ukraine. Urged by his mother to keep quiet and apologise for his anti-government statements, Kon flees to New York.
The second act finds Kon free of censorship, but as he struggles to find a producer for his Chekhov play, he is now discovering the constraints of commercialism as soulless high-tech immersive experiences are the money makers here. Kon meets actor Nico (Stella Baker) and begins his own doomed love story as his life and the play echo and intertwine. The frustrations and ecstasy of creating together are captured wittily, as is the bemused reaction of his mother when she watches the play. As Kon eventually sells out and directs a ridiculous “experience” the promise of freedom in New York seems lost, but letters from his writer friend Anton (Elan Zafir), thrown in prison for his views, remind him of why people write.
Performed on Alexander Shiskin’s split stage – black box behind the red curtain and dressing room kitsch in front, writer Eli Rarey has crafted a bizarrely affecting fun romp, fuelled mostly by the manic energy of Burkovskiy’s MC – his appearance as a bare-chested Putin on horseback has to be seen to be believed. Ohad Mazor, Myles McCabe III, Quentin Lee Moore and Keshet Pratt are the energetic troupe of actors. The manic playfulness could dissipate any meaningful messages about freedom and censorship, but the wonderfully gentle moments of tenderness and despair portrayed by Boyd and Zafir as the driven director and writer are the beating heart of the play.
Playful and energetic, Seagull: True Story is lots of fun.