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LIFE
MU Theatre presents Chekhov's 'The Seagull'
Leah Turley, Mike Murdock and Nick Reynolds stand on stage during the dress rehearsal for “The Seagull” on Wednesday at the Joan C. Edwards Playhouse. The show will be performed at 8 p.m. nightly Feb. 20-23.
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HUNTINGTON -- If you're looking for a lighthearted, fluffy Valentine-esque production, the Marshall University Theatre Department does not have the show for you.
If, however, you pine for a story about complex relationships and emotions from a master playwright, "The Seagull" will be right up your alley.
The first of four major plays by Anton Chekhov, "The Seagull" will run Feb. 20-23, in the Joan C. Edwards Performing Arts Center. The show starts at 8 p.m. each evening. Tickets are $14 for adults; $12 for senior citizens, MU faculty and staff; and $7 for ages 17 and younger. Admission is free to full-time Marshall students with valid ID.
"Chekhov is everybody's favorite. It's something nice and upbeat for February," said director and associate professor Jack Cirullo, with just a touch of sarcasm in his voice.
Cirullo explained that a lot of people's reactions to Chekhov's works come from a bad experience in high school or college. Taking an opportunity to view Chekhov's writing in the appropriate venue makes all the difference.
"Chekhov gets a bad rap. He's one of those authors, like Shakespeare, that well-intentioned teachers would pass out a play and say, 'Here, read this' and students treated it like liverwurst," he explained. "It's not the same experience reading it as what you get when you see it come to life in the theater."
"The Seagull" follows the journey of a middle-aged and fading actress, a moderately popular author who realizes he has failed to achieve greatness and the actress' melancholy son who is lovesick over a pretty neighbor. It was a break from the plays written at the time, when plot was everything. Chekhov instead focused on relationships, with everything else coming secondary.
"Of his four major plays, this one is the most plot-driven. That's why we chose it. Some people call it 'Chekhov Lite.' He's just really starting to find his voice as a playwright. At the time, it was a revolutionary work," Cirullo said.
Revolutionary, but not initially well-received. The play was a huge disaster when it first appeared in Russia, but was later hailed a huge success when the father of modern theater, Constantin Stanislavski, got his hands on it.
"The show was a hit as a drama, and Chekhov insisted it was a comedy, even though it ends with an actor shooting himself in the head," Cirullo said. "It stands to reason what is funny in Russia, probably isn't funny in the United States."
Cirullo said he hopes people come to the show for an "enjoyable two hours of theater," as well as to expose themselves to a classical work. Another bonus for audiences, he added, will be the elaborate costuming. Many of the 19th century-style pieces were hand-selected by MU's Joan St. Germain in New York City.
"These costume pieces, which were pulled from the Met in New York are beautiful and invaluable to properly and accurately conveying the look of the late 19th century," Cirullo offered.
WHAT: "The Seagull"
WHEN: 8 p.m., Feb. 20-23
WHERE: Joan C. Edwards Performing Arts Center, Marshall University campus
COST: $14 adults; $12 seniors and MU faculty and staff; $7 for children 17 and under; free for full-time Marshall students with an ID
INFORMATION: Call the box office at (304) 696-ARTS
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