The Seagull — Queensland Theatre Company

Overview

They don't call Anton Chekhov’s The Seagull one of the best plays of the modern era without good reason. The Russian dramatist's work, the first of his four major offerings, tells of love, art and the conflicts of both through the interplay of a quartet of interconnected characters.

So we have writer Boris Trigorin, ingénue Nina, fading theatrical diva Irina Arkadina and her son and playwright Konstantin, all circling around each other. And, in the hands of director Dan Evans, we also have a new take on the quintessential dramedy — indeed, he thinks Chekhov's effort was instrumental in shaping recent television shows such as Six Feet Under, Orange Is The New Black and Transparent.

Accordingly, a classic work about family, power, sex, fame and passion gets a fresh interpretation — and Brisbane audiences receive a stripped-back, raw theatre experience. At the end, hopefully you won't just think that The Seagull is one of the greatest-ever works, but that this version is as well.