The show

A comedy in its original language

 

Chekhov considered "The Seagull" play to be a comedy, and this theatrical production pays respect to the author's opinion and interprets the play as a comedy, with all its seriousness, just as the life is. Similarly, the vast majority, if not all, of the directorial decisions are objectively grounded in the text — either in the text of the play itself or based on the information from the verifyable secondary sources.

The performance is not only in Russian, but uses the early modern Russian language that Chekhov himself used to speak and write (which was abolished by the language reforms at the beginning of the 20th century). The use of the original text reproduces the sounds, melody, and poetics of the spoken Russian language that Chekhov heard in his imagination while writing his plays.

 

Live Russian music

 

In order to immerse the audience into the atmosphere of a Chekhovian estate of 1896, the production utilizes Russian music of that time period: songs, romances, and Pyotr Tchaikovsky's musical compositions.

 

Symbolism of the show

 

"Ч" (pronounced as [ch]) - is a letter in the Russian alphabet that is the first letter of the following relevant words in Russian:

  • the family name of the playwright: Chekhov
  • the name of the play: Chaika
  • the family name of the composer Pyotr Tchaikovsky, a contemporary and friend of Anton Chekhov
  • the word for the number four

"4" (pronounced as [chetyre]) - a number:

  • the four acts
  • the four seasons corresponding to each of the four acts
  • the four movements of a symphony
  • the four characters whose lives intertwine the most