By Eric George Tauber
SAN DIEGO — The Seagull marked Anton Chekhov’s first critical success at the Moscow Art Theatre. Putting both Chekhov and Director Konstantin Stanislavsky on the cultural map, the MAT adopted the seagull as its logo and ushered in a new era of theatre. So why update it? Why mess with a literary classic?
Playwrights like Chekhov moved away from melodrama –with moustache twirling villains in black capes and fainting heroines- to modern “realism.” This inspired “method acting” in which the actors’ work is more cerebral, getting into a character’s head and working out their motivations. It was a revolution in art and wrote the textbook that actors use to this day.
But that was the turn of the last century. How do we keep theatre vibrant and relevant in the 21st? What can live theatre do that our ubiquitous digital screens can’t?
Stupid F**king Bird breaks the fourth wall. … No, it demolishes it. A vivacious Ro Bodie as Con came out dancing to some old school funk and got the crowd fired up. A woman shouted, “Take it off!” but Bodie demurred. This ain’t the Chekhov we read in college.
In homage, a portrait of Chekhov hangs ominously over the stage. The back walls with ladders and cans of paint lay exposed save for a painted backdrop that has seen better days.
Nina, a lovely poetic soul, dances and recites a poem at a “performance event,” which is something like an open mic at a groovy coffee house. It’s so pretentious that it’s funny. But when Emma, a famous actress, is unimpressed, her son Con throws a fit.
A thin-skinned artsy-type, Con goes on a rant about the need for new forms of theatre reaching new and wider audiences, not just aging Jews, gay men and academics. His relationship with his mother is … complicated, a kind of love/hate disappointment in each other.
Karole Forman is beautifully strong as Emma. As an actress and single mother, she didn’t have it easy, but she did the best she could. And when they bring on the funk, the lady’s got some moves.
“I just want to be loved.”
Love triangles are often the stuff of drama. But this is more of a web. Dev is a hopeless romantic who madly in love with Mash. Mash is in love with Con, but Con only has eyes for Nina. Nina is star struck by Trig. Flattered by her attention, Trig is drawn to her like a moth to a flame even though he is tethered to Emma. When Trig and Nina are caught together, Emma hits the ceiling and Con climbs into a bottle of despair. And Sorn, Emma’s quiet and likable brother, just wants to be hugged.
Jacque Wilke is a riot as Mash. She dresses all in black because she is “in mourning for her life” and sings about her misery on a ukulele. She waxes sardonic about God eating popcorn as He laughs at our trials.
Hats off to Cygnet for raising the banner of revolution and bringing a classic into the 21st century, giving us a night to experience, not just watch. Will their Stupid F**ing Bird really change the way we think about theatre? Will theatre continue to be relevant in an era of ubiquitous screens dominating our eyes and minds? Only if you buy some f**king tickets.
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Tauber is a freelance writer specializing in coverage of the arts. He may be contacted via eric.tauber@sdjewishworld.com. Comments intended for publication in the space below MUST be accompanied by the letter writer’s first and last name and by his/ her city and state of residence (city and country for those outside the United States.)