There are rumors floating about that the current all-star revival of Chekhov's "The Seagull" may transfer from Central Park's Delacorte Theatre to a Broadway house for a limited run. Let us pray this proves to be true. As many aspiring performers and lovers of great theatre should see this Mike Nichols-directed wonder as possible. Not only does it prove that the author's original description of the piece as a comedy is accurate, but it also reaffirms the possibility that American actors can play the classics as well as the British.
Nichols doesn't just infuse this tale of the travails of the artist and the frustration of love with humor, but he also gives it a life-affirming joyousness. Most Chekhov revivals concentrate on the dark side and plunge the audience into three hours of gloom along with the characters. Here the focus shifts from the usual center of gravity in most "Seagulls"(the melancholy Konstantin whose attempts at writing and romance end in tragedy) to his flamboyant mother, the glamorous actress Arkadina.
Of course it doesn't hurt that Arkadina is played by the greatest actress of her generation Meryl Streep. Absent from the stage for over 20 years while she was making movies, this genius of interpretation gives us a woman who is vain, controlling, manipulative, and miserly, but we love her. That's because her every movement and inflection reflect thought and motivation. The way she eats a meal and then flings the dishes away in a rage or turns a somersault to prove she is still young are painstakingly thought-out and effortlessly executed. We know it's a performance, but it appears spontaneous because the character is an actress.
Nina, the object of Konstantin's thwarted affection, normally done as a pathetic victim, is refreshingly played by Natalie Portman as a flinty survivor. Philip Seymour Hoffman manages the difficult task of enacting the eternally despairing Konstantin as both a whiny brat and a sincere, loving young man.
But the acting level is exquisitely high throughout. Marcia Gay Harden as the heartsick Masha makes reading numbers in a game of Lotto into a litany of sorrow. John Goodman makes the oafish estate manager a selfish clown. Stephen Spinella is a lovable schlub as the schoolteacher who loves Masha. Debra Monk gets in some sharp comic bits as Goodman's adulterous wife. Larry Pine is smooth and cynical as the lady-killing doctor. Kevin Kline underplays Trigorin to perfection. The always bizarre Christopher Walken pulls his usual grandstanding schtick, but somehow it works here. Playing Arkadina's civil-servant brother, it makes sense that this sibling of a famous person would cut and caper for attention.
The sets and costumes by Bob Crowley are understated and eloquent while Jennifer Tipton's lighting perfectly sets the summery mood of the early acts and the autumnal atmosphere of the latter ones. No doubt something will be lost if this outdoor production moves indoors, but it will worth it if those who couldn't wait on line from 4am get a second chance to see it.