Jennie Fox as Nina in The Seagull The first day of a production can be quite nerve- racking for all concerned, but on this occasion the sun was shining through the large arched windows of The Soper Hall and thanks to the deft stage management of Kat and Georgina, there were chairs and tables set up and a kettle boiling. A cup of coffee and we were off - a few logistics, a welcome to the company that will collaborate on this wonderful Chekhovian piece, to perform in our local Caterham Festival and then tour to the epic, awe-inspiring venue that is the Minack Theatre, on the rocks at Porthcurno. So with excitement we dived in. The read through ran at around an hour and a half and there was a general consensus that the adaptation read fluently (which was a relief!). Great to hear a script for the first time - from it come so many new thoughts, themes and ideas as to where the Chekhov is leading us. Add 10 fabulous actors and their comments to the mix and you have a company of creatives responding, reacting, inhabiting the characters and drawing Chekhov into the now.
Though this adaptation is based on a 1915 translation by Julius West - (published exactly 100 years ago - I was amazed to find after purchasing on Ebay that I was reading a first edition!) - this is a contemporary adaptation and as Jennie pointed out, some of the prosaic nature of older translations has been stripped away. The essence of the piece remains. The themes of the play - lack of fulfilment, frustration and mental insecurities are overridden by the sense of a yearning - a need - for love in all its forms - a love that transcends the mundane necessities of life and drives all of us, for good or bad, to what we become.
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