Anna Burnside reviews ‘a consistently solid and enjoyable piece of work’.
When Chekhov wrote The Seagull in 1895, he considered it a comedy. Mike Poulton leans into this intention in his translation of the tribulations of a self-obsessed Russian diva and her extended family. The themes are universal: young theatricals still overact to the bodhran and their seniors gamble for kopeks while their children face down the deepest despair.
In his first play as artistic director of The Lyceum, James Brining has played it safe with this highly watchable adaptation of a classic, gorgeously staged in slightly faded grandeur, with a major star at the centre of a mostly strong ensemble.
Caroline Quentin dominates the stage as the aging actress Arkadina. She’s oblivious to her drippy son’s desire to please her with a woeful experimental play yet immediately on guard when a younger woman catches the eye of her dashing, but equally self-absorbed, lover.
On stage, as in life, the role of everyone else is to make her look good. Lorn McDonald, as the struggling writer, excels in a tremendous scene with his mother where they zigzag between mawkish affection and shouting the odds. They even wear almost-matching waistcoats, a clever nod to their family connection.
He is less convincing when lovelorn, not helped by a frenetic and jumpy performance by Harmony Rose-Bremner as his beloved Nina. This is a weak spot in the production; it’s hard to believe that Trigorin, Arkadina’s superstar writer partner, would be interested in a young daft lassie, no matter how starstruck.
But a supporting cast of Lyceum reliables - Irene Allan, John Bett, Forbes Masson - as well as Quentin’s ownership of her role, make this a consistently solid and enjoyable piece of work.
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The Seagull performs at The Royal Lyceum in Edinburgh until November 1, 2025. For further details, go to the theatre’s website.
Photo by Mihaela Bodlovic.
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