REVIEW: Chekhov's THE SEAGULL at The Bridge House Theatre 23 August – 3 September 2022

‘The company, the director, and the Bridge House Theatre, deserve congratulations’ ★★★

When the Academy of Live and Recorded Arts (ALRA) shut its doors last April, it stranded a lot of students midway through courses. One of the institutions that has stepped up to ameliorate this situation is the Bridge House Theatre in Penge, which is hosting a production of Chekhov’s The Seagull, directed by Luke Adamson of the Bridge House, with a cast of ALRA students, all making their debuts on a professional stage.

Several of the male parts are played by women, the older characters are played by young students, and the four act, naturalistic play has been compressed into a 90-minute play on a single set, with a bit of furniture-shuffling to denote changes of scene. None of that matters at all. The old man Sorin gets played with a lot of wobbling and a pronounced stoop, but the other older characters are denoted with attitude more than by acting old – Joeley Gibson manages an imperious Arkadina, Flinn Andreae is the world-weariest Trigorin, only roused from his languor by Annabelle Bailey’s dewy-eyed Nina. The actors playing their own ages, Annabelle Bailey and Jordan Lewis as Konstantine, actually wind up being a bit more breathless and naïve to emphasise their character’s youth. Alice Gibson as the horribly treated school master, and Sally Toynton as the insouciant doctor, are both high spots of the production.

The played moved fast, trimmed by half as it was, and Nina’s ruin was somewhat precipitate. Verity Johnson’s set was efficient rather than beautiful, and the small on-stage puddle representing the glorious lake in the Arkadina estate was funny more than it was glorious, but these are quibbles. The play moved along, told the story, allowed some commendable acting, and gave an opportunity for a group of promising young actors to get work. The company, the director, and the Bridge House Theatre, deserve congratulations, and the production is worth the watch.

The Seagull

Bridge House Theatre, Penge

23 August – 3 September 2022

Box Office https://thebridgehousetheatre.co.uk/shows/the-seagull/

Reviewer

Chris Lilly read Drama at Hull University in the 70s, stage-managed a bit, spent 8 years as a community arts worker in Tower Hamlets, did the occasional tech job, then taught in East London and participated in shedloads of community theatre. Since retiring from teaching, he has acquired an MA in 'Theatre' from the University of Surrey and indulged a passion for live performance anywhere in London courtesy of his Freedom Pass.