This Rushing ‘Seagull’ Never Learns to Soar

Chock-full of dramatic and stylistic flourishes, Diane Venora’s staging of “The Seagull” for Actors Co-op is never boring; thus, it sidesteps the chief complaint frequently lodged against so many revivals of Anton Chekhov’s plays.

However, Chekhov’s leisurely portraits of provincial Russia at the turn of the 20th century are, first and foremost, concerned with naturalism. In rejecting the artifice of the theatrical traditions that preceded him, Chekhov opened the stage to embrace the problems of ordinary life, including its tedium and lack of fulfillment.

The challenge in staging Chekhov is to find the right balance between his realistic rhythms and his magically revealing insights into character. Unfortunately, whatever soap-opera universe of emotionalism this production inhabits, it simply does not serve Chekhov’s text.

Case in point: the pivotal reunion between the troubled young intellectual Konstantin (Bruce Ladd) and his unrequited love, Nina (Mary Faulkner). Their lines are superimposed in an extended simultaneous torrent, each oblivious to the other.

Perhaps it makes a point about their inability to communicate, but this is not the kind of conversation two people would ever have.

A few performers manage to sidestep this trap and render appropriately flawed but crediblecharacters. John Hugo is spectacularly successful as the inconstant hack novelist Trigorin.

Barbara Kerr Condon, as the wife of the estate manager (David Schall), has some affecting moments of desperate pining for the local doctor (Edward Symington).

But this production envisions virtually every scene as moments to milk rather than as threads in an organic tapestry. In the finale, when the doctor discreetly pulls Trigorin aside to reveal a tragic event out of earshot of his hostess (Kristina Lankford), the play astonishingly freezes on her horrified reaction to the news, completely violating the text.

Unfortunately, it isn’t a moving violation.

*

* “The Seagull,” Crossley Theatre, 1760 N. Gower St. (entrance on Carlos Street), Hollywood. Thursdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 2:30 p.m. Ends June 4. $17. (323) 462-8460. Running time: 2 hours, 30 minutes.