Review Roundup: THE SEAGULL/WOODSTOCK, NY at The New Group

The New Group is now presenting the world premiere production of The Seagull/Woodstock, NY, by Thomas Bradshaw, adapted from Chekhov, with David Cale, Ato Essandoh, Patrick Foley, Hari Nef, Daniel Oreskes, Parker Posey, Bill Sage, Aleyse Shannon, Amy Stiller and Nat Wolff, directed by Scott Elliott.

A strictly limited Off-Broadway engagement, originally slated through March 26, is now playing through April 9 at The Pershing Square Signature Center (The Romulus Linney Courtyard Theatre, 480 West 42nd Street).

A group of New York theater people retreat to a house in the Hudson Valley hoping to get away from it all. Except they can't seem to escape the ambitions, rivalries and fragile egos that follow them everywhere. Chekhov's sharp satirical eye for the hypocrisy, self-absorption and emotional volatility of ambitious artists is given fresh, fun emphasis in The Seagull/Woodstock, NY as Thomas Bradshaw returns to The New Group with his contemporary reworking of this tragicomic classic. This world premiere reunites playwright Thomas Bradshaw and director Scott Elliott, who previously collaborated at The New Group on Bradshaw's plays Intimacy and Burning.

The Seagull/Woodstock, NY features David Cale (Lillian, The New Group's Mouth to Mouth), Ato Essandoh (Jason Bourne, Django Unchained), Patrick Foley (Circle Jerk, Ratatouille the TikTok Musical), Hari Nef (The New Group's "Daddy", Transparent), Daniel Oreskes (Oslo, The New Group's Happy Talk), Parker Posey (The Staircase, Waiting for Guffman, The New Group's Hurlyburly), Bill Sage (The New Group's Aunt Dan and Lemon, Precious), Aleyse Shannon (Beauty, Black Christmas), Amy Stiller (The King of Queens, Down the Garden Path) and Nat Wolff (The Fault in Our Stars, The New Group's Buried Child).

See what the critics are saying...

Jesse Green, The New York Times: Still, I’m left to wonder whether a few moments of enhanced relevance are worth the bother of a comprehensive and often counterproductive update. Couldn’t this cast have pulled off the standard edition? And pulled it off more smoothly, without the staging longueurs occasioned by the rough text and the stop-and-go direction? (But do keep the fabulous contemporary clothing by Qween Jean.)

Frank Scheck, New York Stage Review: Under the scattershot direction of Scott Elliott, the actors, many of whom are familiar, are all over the place. At times, you feel like they’ve just been introduced to each other. Some manage to find the humanity in their characters, with Nef, Wolff, Cale and Amy Stiller having their moments. And Posey is an absolute delight, even if she feels miscast, with her extensive comedic experience in Christopher Guest’s films (and many, many others) serving her well in her impeccably timed delivery of Irene’s biting asides.

Sandy MacDonald, New York Stage Review: Perhaps the best (the only?) way to enjoy this bagatelle is to abandon any notion of fidelity or depth and roll with the jokes. After all, The Seagull has survived innumerable treatments – respectful and otherwise – over the past 128 years. The play still has insights to impart, though they’re hard to discern here.

Robert Hofler, The Wrap: Under Scott Elliott’s direction, some of the other actors (Patrick Foley, Daniel Oreskes, Bill Sage, Amy Stiller) and their supporting characters almost come off superfluous. (To be honest, that’s often my reaction when I see the original.) The exceptions are David Cale’s wonderfully flighty landowner and Nef, who gives Sasha a droll contralto delivery that starts out ridiculously inappropriate before ending up downright tragic.

Jackson McHenry, Vulture: What arises out of all this is an unresolved tension between sending up the theater and revering it. Woodstock never strays too far from The Seagull, in plot or tone, poking at theatrical conventions, but never overthrowing them, on the way to dutifully reenacting the beats of tragedy. For all Bradshaw’s provocations in dialogue, I wondered if the plot could change a bit with the new era too. The play comes in throwing elbows, ready to épater la bourgeoisie, but ends up feeling rather respectful of and beholden to the classics.

James Wilson, Talkin' Broadway: Regrettably, the design elements were not enough to transport me into the world of the play. I found myself growing more and more impatient. Having lived for a year in the Catskills, this was not a Woodstock I recognized and certainly not with people I want to spend time. I am also fairly certain I never saw any seagulls there, but that's the least of the problems with The Seagull/Woodstock, NY.

Matthew Wexler, Queerty: Despite their anchoring performances, The Seagull/Woodstock, NY doesn’t always soar but instead hovers at a pace that occasionally needs propulsion.

James Kleinmann, The Queer Review : Bradshaw’s adaptation is frequently hilarious. In fact, I was laughing so much throughout that I thought the more dramatic moments might not hit as hard when they came, but the production powerfully builds to a deeply affecting and suitably abrupt conclusion. This is a supremely satisfying night of theatre, and one not to be missed.

Average Rating: 56.3%