The Seagull (London) London Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (72)
See it if you love the classics
Don't see it if you want big stage productions
See it if you are a fan of character driven plays with minimal staging and sound design
Don't see it if you aren't a fan of subtext or any other means of filling in the gaps yourself Read more
See it if You like Jamie Lloyd productions and want to see some great acting (Indira Varma in particular!)
Don't see it if You want a fast paced play with details staging. This play has a very minimal set and can be very slow at times.
See it if you like boring AF “classics.” The cast is good but the material isn’t.
Don't see it if you hate being bored. Read more
See it if you want a slow (almost painfully in places) adaptation of a classic, that is entirely carried by some great acting performances.
Don't see it if you don't like interpretations of classic works, or if you want a more satisfying and less gimmicky production.
See it if you want to see a famous actress or you’re a huge Chekhov fan
Don't see it if the reasons above don’t apply to you
See it if You want to see a classic play. I appreciated the writing and the acting was good.
Don't see it if I found the production to be a hinderance to enjoying the play. A little too obscure.
See it if you want some serviceable but boring performances or you want an expensive nap
Don't see it if you'd rather see something interesting
Critic Reviews (10)
"If you’re open to a show that makes noise quietly and thinks deeply, this ‘Seagull’ really flies."
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"Sometimes it does feel like we are watching The Seagull With Zombies – mannered, frustrating, both too drawn and drawled out. But it never stops fascinating and in the scenes that work best, this show is brave, compelling and powerful..."
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"In so far as they go, constrained by a directorial conceit so sparing it’s distractingly ostentatious, I can’t fault the cast, but they yield little that couldn’t be obtained in more traditional, pleasure-giving Chekhov."
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"Emilia Clarke ... turns in a perfectly fine performance as the elfin young woman bewitched by the idea of making a career on the stage ... The piece as a whole, though, proves as overwrought as Konstantin’s aborted play."
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"Making her official West End debut, Emilia Clarke captivates as aspiring ingénue Nina, full of warmth and unguarded naivety when the play begins, but hardening around an icy core of deep disappointment by the time the final act rolls around."
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"There’s something jarring about watching an actor deliver a bravura performance surrounded by the bored faces of their fellow cast members: it’s a poignant reminder that even the most moving work of art will leave some people cold."
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"Its stripped back staging and threadbare aesthetic are a carefully calculated choice to amplify the profundity and tenacity of Anya Reiss' feisty, contemporary translation... the phenomenal acting performances of this universally brilliant company are what endures."
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"The staging is determinedly spare – just plastic chairs, chipboard walls. The actors are mic-ed up and barefoot, wearing comfy, floaty clothes. ... But where that show swaggered, using spoken word to bring electricity to the source material, this one feels too static – almost like a radio play."
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