National Theatre Live: The Seagull

Jamie Lloyd, the director who helmed the acclaimed 2019 production of Cyrano De Bergerac with James McAvoy, brings a fresh perspective to Chekhov's classic The Seagull, with the assistance of Anya Reiss.

When the play's trailer first hit social media, Emilia Clarke's performance generated a lot of buzz. However, when the play opened, audiences and critics were divided. Some praised Clarke's performance, while others slammed it.

My personal opinion is that the adaptation, the performances of all the actors, and the set design were all mediocre. Especially when you consider the success of Cyrano De Bergerac.

Here are a few more things I'd like to add;

Emilia Clarke's performance was the best part of the play for me. It was clear that she had worked hard on her role, and she had a very natural stage presence.

The adaptation felt a bit too modern in some places. It didn't quite capture the spirit of Chekhov's original text.

The set design was very minimalist. I would have liked to see a bit more visual flair and atmosphere in some scenes.

Overall, I thought this was a mediocre production. It didn't live up to the success of Cyrano De Bergerac, and it didn't fully satisfy me.

Additionally:

Some scenes in the play were a bit too long and slow-paced.

The ending of the play felt a bit unresolved.

...very much. For admirable work of Indira Varma as Arkadina. For Daniel Monks as nuanced portrait of Konstantin. For Tom Rhys Harries proposing, only at the first sight, a profound unconventional, for youth first, Trigorin, but fair- precise well working.

Emilia Clark...I admitt, I admire her ( against Game of Thrones ) and I was not real convinced than she represents the most inspired option for Nina.

But the play is far by what you will expect from Seagull in traditional version.

This is its virtue. Maybe, in same measure, its sin.

But the great point is the provocative...freshness, the crumbs of humor, the dialogues little different by what can be too familiar for viewer. So, a new Seagull. Not bad at whole.