The “Seagull” is just a fucking Bird - and The SF Playhouse brings that “Bird”
to SFP an excellent very insightful production.
Anton Chekhov - who was really a Doctor and playwright - wrote his play the Seagull over 115 years ago - and some say it changed what we see on stage today. With that in mind Aaron Posner’s mash up and retake of Chekhov's icon Seagull, STUPID FUCKING BIRD is brilliant, funny and the best metaphor of human theatre behavior. You can say it with a four letter word “fucking great”. Posner was in town last season to direct a play at Cal Shakes "Comedy of Errors", so he is not far from the SF bay area theatre community.
San Francisco Playhouse director Susi Damilano gathered a great company to find the fun narcissism that belongs with the play - about a play, and the actors in a play. The talented Martha Brigham plays Nina who is the Seagull, she has a great monolog in act one performing a site-specific performance art set that breaks the curtain line to what theatre is. Susi Damilano combines some very fast pace dialogue and opens one of the scenes for the audience to throw out suggestions. Con - the playwright in the story asks the audience how he can win over Nina - its very fun and must get off the wall “only in San Francisco” responses each night.
“Bird” has as much wordplay as its original version, but this Posner take is full of modern trending topics in theatre, and new media. Yet still remains Chekhov at heart with one of its main themes “love, loss, and death”
In short the story remains the same but set at a sunny lake house of a wilting stage star Emma played so well by Carrie Paff. Her lover Trig played by John Moreno, who is perfectly smug in the role of a prized author. Trig bites the creative spirit of Emma’s son Conrad, played so well by Adam Magill. Cons goal is to burn the image of classic theatre and as he persuades the audience that he is only fictional. Con tries to win over his upstaging mom by presenting his charming lead actor Nina. Con’s second admire is Mash, always dressed in black and playing her ukulele - and performed perfectly by El Beh. Her song “You're hot, you rot” is set to win over her crush Con. Her songs always conquer Dev who loves Mash. Each character breaks the fourth wall and Emma’s brother Dr. Sorn, played eloquently by Charles Robinson talks to us about where was he? he is in this play you are watching.
Con opens the two hour Bay Area premiere telling us “the play will begin when someone says START THE FUCKING PLAY” - The night I saw the production the response was instant but on other nights there can be a long pause before someone in the audience “gets it” and yells the F bomb with pride and purpose.
The set is clever using a dock both as a stage and Hamlet ramp, designed by SFP artistic director Bill English. The lighting that involves many times where the house lights come up was designed by Mark Hueske. You would think you would hear more seagulls in the sound design but they are kept to a minimum with Steve Schoenback subtext craft.
Con arrives on stage to win his Nina back with a sack that contains a dead “fucking bird”. Its classic Chekhovian. Yet I must thank Aaron for bringing this “bird” home. But the dark side of Act two is only in the wings for Con .
STUPID FUCKING BIRD is one of the best plays of the season, at least here in the SF Bay area and for a night of seeing actors be actors who know they are acting - is the best. This is my first post about SFP. I have seen their work over the years and Bill English always brings it 100%. Their new season for 15 - 2016 will be a good one. I hope to write more about their season and special events.
'STUPID FUCKING BIRD'
By Aaron Posner,
adapted from Anton Chekhov's "The Seagull,"
presented by San Francisco Playhouse
Through: May 2, San Francisco Playhouse, 450 Post St.
Running time: 2 hours, 20 minutes, one intermission
Tickets: $20-$120, 415-677-9596,
Photos by Jessica Palopoli.
Video clip
No comments:
Post a Comment