THE SEAGULL Recoups on Broadway

The Royal Court Theatre's critically acclaimed production of Anton Chekhov's THE SEAGULL has fully recouped its capitalization costs, officially entering the hit column. THE SEAGULL, in a new version by Christopher Hampton and directed by Ian Rickson, is now in its final two weeks, concluding its limited engagement as scheduled on Sunday, December 21 at the Walter Kerr Theatre (219 West 48th Street). 

Producer Sonia Friedman commented, "My fellow producers and I are tremendously proud of Ian Rickson's exquisite production and this extraordinarily talented and sublime acting company. New York audiences have been wonderful and proved that it's possible for Chekhov to be a commercial success on Broadway, which is a huge achievement for all concerned."

Ben Brantley, The New York Times, praised the Royal Court Theatre's production of THE SEAGULL as "Magnificent. The finest production of Chekhov that I have ever known." John Lahr, The New Yorker, called it "Remarkable and thrilling." David Rooney, Variety, described THE SEAGULL as "an incandescent, overwhelming production. This is powerful theater." Peter Marks, Washington Post, hailed it as "a mesmerizing evening". John Heilpern, The New York Observer, raved, "It's a pleasure to be in the company of the entire cast of Ian Rickson's revelatory production of The Seagull. Let me throw my hat in the air and hail it as the finest production of Chekhov I've seen in a generation."

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 the Maid 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.

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 are Tuesday through Saturday at 8:00 PM, with matinees Wednesday and Saturday at 2:00 PM and Sunday at 3:00 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.

THE SEAGULL is produced by Sonia Friedman Productions, Bob Boyett, Robert G. Bartner, Dede Harris, Norman & Steven Tulchin, Fox Theatricals, Dena Hammerstein, Sharon Karmazin, Olympus Theatricals, Spring Sirkin, Tara Smith, Morton Swinsky, Karl Sydow, The Weinstein Company, Falkenstein/deRoy, Florin/Hirschhorn and Gutterman/McGinnis.

www.SeagullThePlay.com