The Seagull: Cate Blanchett leads 'powerhouse ensemble' in Chekhov classic
Modern reboot has blown away the dust from 1895 drama

"It is all too easy to be cynical when movie stars turn to theatre," said Houman Barekat in The New York Times, especially as some have not proved very good at it.
Cate Blanchett, however, is a stage veteran; and in Thomas Ostermeier's "ingenious" production of Chekhov's "The Seagull" – a new version adapted by Ostermeier and playwright Duncan Macmillan – she dazzles as Irina Arkádina, the vain, attention-seeking actress, said Sarah Hemming in the Financial Times. Blanchett tap dances, and at one point even does the splits, as she "mischievously splices her own fame with that of her character".
As promised, Ostermeier and Macmillan have blown away the dust surrounding the 1895 drama, said Sarah Crompton on What's on Stage. Characters are in modern dress; they vape and swear; one arrives on stage on a quad bike and performs a Billy Bragg song, which he dedicates to Ostermeier. But the most surprising thing about the evening is "just how serious and sensitive it is in unpicking both the comic and tragic notes in Chekhov's study of a group of unhappy, arty, self-obsessed people who can't make any sense of their lives in a time of crisis". It "deliberately circles issues of artifice and reality, of true feelings and performance, of the very purpose of art, enfolding the audience in its examination".
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Blanchett "may be the glitteriest" casting, as the actress who finds her real self impossible to face, but she is part of a "powerhouse ensemble" that ultimately "outshines her in intensity", said Arifa Akbar in The Guardian: Emma Corrin as actress Nina Zaréchnaya, Tom Burke as writer Alexander Trigorin, and Kodi Smit-McPhee as Arkádina's son all excel.
Yet for those of us who don't love Ostermeier's style, it proved a long night, said Clive Davis in The Times. The German director's "battery of well-worn devices" – microphones, actors breaking the fourth wall – are all present and correct.
And over three hours, his "terror of being conventional" does become pretty wearisome, said Robert Gore-Langton in The Mail on Sunday. By the bitter end, this Seagull has "become a half-dead parrot. Albeit one with a dream cast."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Will George RR Martin ever finish 'The Winds of Winter'?
In Depth Westeros fans have been waiting for well over a decade, and they are going to have to keep waiting
-
Louis Theroux returns to the West Bank for new documentary
In the spotlight The film-maker meets Jewish settlers with his signature 'faux naivety'
-
Ed Miliband, Tony Blair and the climate 'credibility gap'
Talking Point Comments by former PM Tony Blair have opened up Labour to attacks over its energy policies
-
Louis Theroux returns to the West Bank for new documentary
In the spotlight The film-maker meets Jewish settlers with his signature 'faux naivety'
-
Critics' choice: Variations on family values
Feature French cuisine gets a Vietnamese twist, a one-man Turkish kitchen, and a family-run Italian restaurant
-
Music reviews: Julien Baker & Torres, Tunde Adebimpe, and Rhiannon Giddens & Justin Robinson
Feature "Send a Prayer My Way," "Thee Black Boltz," "What Did the Blackbird Say to the Crow"
-
Film reviews: The Accountant 2 and The Shrouds
Feature A number cruncher crushes a new set of bad guys and mourners buy a view into their loved ones' graves
-
Art review: The Frick Collection
Feature After a $330 million renovation and expansion, New York City's Frick Collection has reopened to the public
-
Amor Towles' 6 favorite books from the 1950s
Feature The author recommends works by Vladimir Nabokov, Jack Kerouac, and more
-
Book reviews: 'Searches: Selfhood in the Digital Age' and 'Crumb: A Cartoonist's Life'
Feature How AI is a parasite of humanity and a biography on the godfather of underground comix
-
The thermal springs and ancient tombs of Bulgaria
The Week Recommends A gorgeous Rose Valley, hilltop tomb and relaxing spa all in a town untainted by tourist crowds