'The Seagull' Begins Previews Tonight, 9/16

THE SEAGULL, in a new version by Christopher Hampton and directed by Ian Rickson, begins previews tonight, September 16 at the Walter Kerr Theatre (219 West 48th Street). The production plays a limited 14-week engagement through Sunday, December 21.

Following a change to the Broadway opening night calendar, The Royal Court Theatre’s production of Anton Chekhov’s THE SEAGULL, previously scheduled to open on October 1, will open on Thursday, October 2.

THE SEAGULL stars Kristin Scott Thomas as Arkadina, Peter Sarsgaard as Trigorin and Mackenzie Crook as Konstantin, with Art Malik as Dorn, Carey Mulligan as Nina, Pearce Quigley as Medvedenko, Peter Wight as Sorin, Zoe Kazan as Masha, Ann Dowd as Polina, Julian Gamble as Shamrayev, Christopher Patrick Nolan as Yakov, Mary Rose as a Housemaid and Mark Montgomery as The Cook.

Anton Chekhov’s THE SEAGULL, written in 1895 and the first of the playwright’s masterworks, concerns the romantic entanglements and regrets of a group of actors, writers and artists gathered on a Russian estate. One of the theatre’s great plays about writing, THE SEAGULL conveys the struggle for new forms and the frustrations and fulfillment of putting words on a page.

Director Ian Rickson originally staged this production of THE SEAGULL as his farewell to the Royal Court Theatre, when he ended his seven-year tenure as the distinguished theatre’s Artistic Director. The limited run became a sold out smash hit and the biggest selling production in the Royal Court’s 50 year history. Ms. Scott Thomas went on the win the 2007 Olivier Award for her performance.

Ben Brantley, The New York Times, wrote, “The marvel of Ian Rickson’s rapturous interpretation of THE SEAGULL, which quickly became a must-have and largely unhaveable ticket, is how seamlessly it captures the vital paradox that so often escapes productions of this masterwork: the bursting theatrical fullness to be found in its unfulfilled lives. Kristin Scott Thomas is in expert form. Productions like Mr. Rickson’s The Seagull are such rarities that it hardly seems fair to measure others against them.”

John Lahr, The New Yorker, pronounced it “the finest British production of Chekhov in recent memory with a pitch-perfect cast, elegant staging and the clarity and cunning of Christopher Hampton’s adaptation.”

David Benedict, Variety, praised THE SEAGULL as “a bold, supremely truthful production. Chekhov's plays live on a knife edge routinely described as ‘tragic-comic.’ Most productions, however, topple over into either doomy tragedy or overly fierce comedy. The exhilaration of Rickson's balancing act is evident from the very opening.”

THE SEAGULL is designed by Hildegard Bechtler, with lighting by Peter Mumford, sound by Ian Dickinson and music by Stephen Warbeck.

Kristin Scott Thomas, Mackenzie Crook, Art Malik, Carey Mulligan, Christopher Patrick Nolan, Pearce Quigley, Mary Rose and Peter Wight are appearing with the permission of Actors’ Equity Association. The producers gratefully acknowledge Actors’ Equity Association for its assistance to this production.

Performances will be Tuesday through Saturday at 8:00 PM, with matinees Wednesday and Saturday at 2:00 PM and Sunday at 3:00 PM. On Sunday, September 28 and October 5, performances will be at 2:00 PM and 8:00 PM.

Tickets for THE SEAGULL are $110 for Orchestra and Mezzanine, Rows A-F, $77 for Mezzanine Rows G-J, $41 for Balcony and $25 for Student Rush and Standing Room. Additionally, Jujamcyn Theatres offers 12 preferred orchestra aisle locations for $135 each, which may only be purchased in pairs. Tickets are available at Telecharge at 212-239-6200, online at telecharge.com and at the Walter Kerr Theatre box office.

THE SEAGULL will be produced on Broadway by Sonia Friedman Productions, Bob Boyett, Robert G. Bartner, Dede Harris, Fox Theatricals, Dena Hammerstein, Sharon Karmazin, Olympus Theatricals, Spring Sirkin, Tara Smith, Mort Swinsky, Karl Sydow, The Weinstein Company, Falkenstein/deRoy and Jay & Cindy Gutterman