The contemporary Irish theatre company, Pan Pan, has brought its production The Seagull and Other Birds to the Abrons Arts Center for its U.S. premiere. The show is a modern mashup and experimental tribute to Anton Chekov’s classic play, The Seagull. They write:
The performance centers around a concise new version of The Seagull integrated with a number of works specially commissioned by the company. Through the wormhole of the new work, Chekhov’s characters find themselves in extraordinarily different contexts: classic plays, TV shows, YouTube and stuff they’ve just made up. The result is playful and uncompromising – expect lots of talk about art, some action, and tons of love.
The piece is a tribute of sorts to Konstantin, a character in The Seagull, who is quoted as saying:
“What we need are new artistic forms.
And if we don’t get new forms it would be better if we had nothing at all.”
(Konstantin, The Seagull, 63)
As part of their exploration into new artistic forms, each performance includes audience participation in order to offer a different experience each night.
The Seagull and Other Birds runs Weds. – Sat. at 7:30 p.m., through April 2, 2016. You can buy tickets ($30) here.
