“You think you would have been hired to direct this if I wasn’t your mummy?” Olga (Ingeborga Dapkunaite) almost sneers at Kon (Daniel Boyd), her own flesh and blood, in a textbook example of the old adage ‘it’s not what you know, but who you know’. Olga is something of a titan in Russian theatre, or at least someone with a degree of influence within the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, and together with producer Yuri (Andrey Burkovskiy) works to mitigate the impact of Kon’s outspokenness, essentially an outright criticism of the invasion of Ukraine. Kon doesn’t like war: so what? As the narrator, or as he is called in this show, the MC (also Burkovskiy, ‘fantastic’, to quote the MC’s favourite adjective) points out, “This is Russia”. Soviet Russia, even if the MC doesn’t quite say it in so many words, is one of the places (together with Nazi Germany) where the term ‘politically correct’ first arose. Its meaning back then was that people said what was ‘politically’ correct – and factually incorrect – to ensure a totalitarian regime would permit them to continue going about their lives instead of doing whatever such governments do to people who are seen as hostile.
An example of this is described (and, perhaps wisely, not seen) in the treatment of Anton (Elan Zafir), who describes himself as a dramaturg. “I wonder if they put all the interesting people in prison now. How dull the conversation in cafes must be these days,” he muses in a letter to Olga. Kon, refusing to comply with demands to read out a pre-prepared statement renouncing his previous remarks, flees to the United States. It’s a bit of a whirlwind, but this was something in the planning for some time, so all the Green Card requirements and so on are either satisfied or in hand. The contrast for theatre director Kon in terms of how actors respond to his collaborative approach is simultaneously significant and unsurprising, with the more emotionally expressive Americans providing opportunities for the cast to display some sassy staginess.
There are a couple of songs sung in Russian – not that I know any Russian, but the MC said it was, so I shall take him at his word – without surtitles or any other form of translation. Oh well. Additionally, on balance, some prior knowledge of Chekhov’s play The Seagull would be beneficial, to put it mildly, and the production risks leaving behind patrons who don’t happen to have seen it. Touches of absurdism permeate what narrative there is (let’s just say the MC wasn’t lying when he described The Seagull as about “nothing”), and ultimately, the show takes an awfully long time to make the point that America offers opportunities for freedom of expression that Russia does not. Still, there’s a point made in this most unsubtle show about how commercialised Broadway has become, and in some respects, isn’t that far removed from the Moscow Art Theatre, where Kon used to work, because it also stages shows that are enjoyable inasmuch as they are largely safe and comfortable, rather than the edgy and boundary-pushing cutting edge kind of theatre Kon prefers.
What began as a surprisingly light-hearted affair began to drag, particularly after the interval, where Kon’s insistence that he lives in America now and Olga’s attempts to woo him back to Moscow become repetitive, even if it is part of the true story of the show’s title. Whatever Kon was saying towards the end was drowned out by loud music, which seemed to me to be deliberate, not so much suggesting but shouting from the rooftops that there are forces in America at work to limit free speech too. There was too much faffing about, however, and the production could do with some ruthless cuts to make it a tighter and more focused ninety-minute show. A committed cast does their best with what they are given, both physically and figuratively, working up a sweat. But the show, as it stands, is like unwieldy hair badly in need of a trim.
Review by Chris Omaweng
This wildly inventive, darkly comic and politically charged remix of Chekhov’s classic blends autobiographical drama, Chekhovian themes and biting satire.
When Russia’s invasion of Ukraine casts a shadow of censorship over Kon’s free-spirited reimagining of Chekhov’s The Seagull, the production is stripped down to a state-approved shell of its former self. Desperate to save his vision and his livelihood, Kon flees to New York. Torn between his Russian roots and a confounding American paradise, he tries to redefine himself as an artist, only to discover that regaining true freedom takes more than just a few thousand miles…
CAST
Nico – Stella Baker
Kon – Daniel Boyd
MC / Yuri / Barry – Andrey Burkovskiy
Olga – Ingeborga Dapkunaite
Dmitri – Ohad Mazor
Sasha – Myles McCabe III
Ivan / Jack – Quentin Lee Moore
Pickle – Keshet Pratt
Musician – Shukhrat Turdikhodjaev
Anton / Sorry – Elan Zafir
CREATIVE TEAM
Created and Directed by Alexander Molochnikov
Written by Eli Rarey
Composer – Fedor Zhuravlev
Lyricist – Noize MC
Choreographer – Ohad Mazor
Set Designer – Alexander Shiskin
Costume Designer – Kristina Kharlashkina
UK Lighting Designer – Alex Musgrave
UK Sound Designer – Julian Starr
UK Casting Director – Ginny Schiller
Casting Assistant – Ben Armstrong
US Lighting Designers – Sam Saliba, Brian H. Scott
SEAGULL: TRUE STORY
Marylebone Theatre, 35 Park Road, London NW1 6XT
5 September to 11 October 2025
