The Seagull

by Anton Chekhov, Torben Betts (Adapted by)

Overview

A new version of the Chekhov classic by award-winning British playwright Torben Betts.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781783198993
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	07/26/2016
Series:	Oberon Modern Plays
Pages:	104
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.25(h) x 0.21(d)

About the Author

Torben Betts’ other plays include: Muswell Hill (Orange Tree Theatre and Park Theatre); Invincible (Orange Tree Theatre and St James Theatre); The Unconquered, Best New Play 2007 Critics’ Awards for Theatre in Scotland (Tron/Traverse/Arcola/Brits-off-Broadway); The Seagull (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre); A Listening Heaven (Edinburgh Royal Lyceum); Lie of the Land (Edinburgh Pleasance/ Arcola); Clockwatching; The Company Man (both Orange Tree Theatre); The Biggleswades (Southwark Playhouse); Five Visions of the Faithful (Edinburgh Festival); The Lunatic Queen (Riverside Studios); The Error of Their Ways (HERE Arts Center, New York); The Swing of Things; Her Slightest Touch (both Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough); Incarcerator (Battersea Arts Centre); Silence and Violence (White Bear Theatre) and Get Carter (Northern Stage). He wrote the screenplay for the feature film Downhill, which was released in cinemas in May 2014.

Table of Contents

	Anton Chekhov: 1860-1904	v
	Plot	xi
	Commentary	xx
	The Seagull in context	xx
	The seagull and the enchanted lake	xxv
	The play-within-the-play	xxviii
	Time and memory; youth and age; sleep and dream	xxxiii
	Art and life; love and destruction	xxxvi
	Comedy or tragedy?	xxxix
	Problems of translation	xli
	Critical perspectives	xlvi
	The Seagull in production	liv
	Further Reading	lxxvii
	Translator's Introduction	lxxix
	A Note on the Translation	xciii
	Pronunciation of the Names	xcvii
	The Seagull	1
	Notes	68

Editorial Reviews

The play has been flooded with light, like a room with the curtains drawn back.” —John Peter, Sunday Times

“The direct simplicity of this new translation … uncovers not only the nerve endings of Chekhov's restless malcontents but also their comic absurdities. It is, as he always intended, actually funny.” —Jack Tinker, Daily Mail

From the Publisher

Attractively printed with brightly colored covers..... Whatever is currently on your library's shelves, these adaptations would be an exciting addition.

Kliatt

With standouts Calista Flockhart and T.R. Knight, this full-cast performance transforms a dark drama marked by unfulfilled and mislaid passions into a hypnotic look at the lives of deeply flawed and painfully recognizable characters. Kosta loves Nina. Nina loves Trigorin. Trigorin is happily seduced by Nina's youth and adoration. And then there's Irina, mother of Kosta, lover of Trigorin, and leading lady of the Russian stage; she, too, loves adoration—and herself. As Kosta, T.R. Knight’s light, energetic voice conveys the audacity of youth but eventually deepens and slows in response to repeated rejection. Using her voice to suggest seduction and control, Calista Flockhart is magnetic as Irina. Listeners will be mesmerized. A.S. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine

AUGUST 2014 - AudioFile