Tag: london

IN CONVERSATION WITH: Kluane Saunders

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We sat down with Kluane Saunders, one of the creatives of WIT? Theatre Company to talk about their much-anticipated debut show, Remember, Remember! at this year’s Lambeth Fringe.

Gather around the bonfire, girlies. It’s time for a story. It’s November, 1605. Some rebellious Catholics are on a mission to overthrow King James I and his protestant tyranny. You think you know the tale of the Gunpowder Plot? You DON’T! 

See the show at The Golden Goose Theatre on Friday 3rd and Saturday 4th October at 7pm. Get tickets here.

What inspired you and WIT? Theatre Company to turn one of Britain’s most famous historical events into a deliberately “misinformed” comedy?

We wanted something any audience could immediately recognise and connect with. We considered classic texts, and other important historical events.  We landed on the gunpowder plot because we found it funny that we all knew Guy Fawkes Night happens once a year, but when we questioned one another about the details, our actual knowledge of the events was pretty vague. We assume that most audiences would share our general haziness and that gives us a lot of room to play around with the story, and make it brilliantly ridiculous. 

How do you strike the balance between historical reference points and complete, gleeful absurdity in Remember, Remember!?

We are using the actual history as a jumping off point for our very silly story. We have done the research so we can give the audience a flavour of life in that era, and our characters have some historical basis, but we haven’t tied ourselves to any sort of historical accuracy in terms of the plot. Our main goal is to make you laugh!

As both a performer and co-writer, how do you and the ensemble ensure each person’s comedic voice shines while keeping the show cohesive?

We have experience of writing and performing together during NewsRevue and are very aware of each other’s strengths. We’re even co-writing these answers! In practical terms we have been writing together online weekly since May, so the show is truly a combination of all our comedic ideas. Our fantastic director Alex Pritchett has also helped us shape the piece and ensure it’s cohesive. 

How did the transition from your success with Newsrevue to launching WIT? as an independent company shape the style and energy of this debut?

We learned (through writing a new Newsrevue show each week) that we had similar/complimentary comedic styles, and that we loved working together in a fast-paced and mad-cap way. Lucy Buncombe seeded the idea of starting a company during our Newsrevue run, and then brought up the idea of us writing something again at a catch up we had. I think we all knew that the chemistry we have as a company is rare and that we should jump on it…so WIT? was born. 

What role does satire play in the way you approach retelling history, and how far is “too far” for you in comedy?

Whilst this is about a very famous and ‘political’ time in history I wouldn’t say this is  ‘political satire’ in the way that NewsRevue is. However, it definitely does poke fun at elements of religious and political beliefs, as well as the class system and the aristocracy and ruling classes. When it comes to going too far with comedy every person is going to have a different opinion. In my opinion most things can be joked about. You may offend some people (that is never my goal) but if it’s funny…it’s funny.  We are not ‘edgy comedians’ though, and I personally have no interest in writing ‘edgy’ jokes. I want everyone to have a nice time and laugh a lot. 

If audiences leave the theatre remembering only one thing about Remember, Remember!, what do you hope it will be?

The only way to stop history repeating itself is to come and watch silly shows about it. So, save the world, support our show! 

REVIEW: Full English

Published on by Antonia Constantin1 Comment

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Funny, thoughtful, and unexpectedly moving, Full English is a love letter to the quirks and power of English language.

At Barons Court Theatre, Full English promised not bacon and eggs, but a feast of words served up with the poet performer Melanie Branton’s sharp humour and poetic flair. During a wonderfully eccentric, sharply intelligent, and surprisingly moving evening, I was reminded why words are not just tools, but the little bricks that build and sometimes break the walls between us.

Melanie Branton is an erudite entertainer in the truest sense. She has the rare ability to turn scholarship into theatre without ever slipping into lecture mode. One moment she’s a performance poet, her voice rich with rhythm and wit; the next, she’s a playful historian, pulling on a funny hat or waving around a prop to embody the strange cast of characters who’ve shaped our language: smelly Vikings, the “not-so-fancy” Normans, earnest 18th-century grammarians, and even Covid-era or the double negatives police. Her patchwork trousers, deliberately mismatched, felt like a fitting visual metaphor for English itself, stitched together from countless influences, yet somehow holding together.

What struck me most was the balance between comedy and depth. There were lots of laughs with audience members joining in happily. But there were also moments when the weight of language’s history landed hard. Branton didn’t shy away from the darker chapters: colonialism, slavery, the power of words to silence as well as to liberate. It reminded me of Noam Chomsky’s idea that language is not just a system of rules, but a living, breathing force, ever evolving, reflecting our humanity, and sometimes distorting it.

One of my favourite sections came when she explored the 18th-century obsession with order, precision, and correctness in grammar. I’ve always had an interest in neoclassicism in architecture and design, but I had never really thought about how those same attitudes shaped the way language was policed. Watching Branton link linguistic tidiness with broader cultural ideals of symmetry and balance was an unexpected revelation.

Branton’s energy never faltered. She has a natural warmth that drew the whole room in, making us participants rather than passive observers. Whether she was conjuring smelly Vikings or inviting us to laugh at the pretensions of grammar snobs, she carried the audience along effortlessly, with the kind of charm that makes you want to lean in closer.

What Full English achieves, above all, is to remind us that language is both deeply serious and wonderfully silly. It is history, it is politics, it is laughter, it is pain and it belongs to all of us. This is not a show just for linguists or poets; it’s for anyone who has ever delighted in a pun, puzzled over a spelling rule, or wondered why we say the things we do. In other words, it’s for everyone.

REVIEW: Shotgunned

Published on by Mark LloydLeave a comment

Rating: 4 out of 5.

“Well-written, well-acted, and well worth your time”

Shotgunned is a 2-person show that explores the relationship between Roz, played by Lorna Panton, and Dylan played by Fraser Allan Hogg. The play presents this relationship to us in a non-linear fashion, with a series of short scenes that feel less like a performance and more like a window into someone’s life. We are taken on a journey through a romance, experiencing poignant and casual moments in the relationship, some of which are hilariously relatable and others which are profoundly heartbreaking. 

The success of this show lives and dies entirely on the shoulders of its two performers, who have to create realistic and palpable chemistry between these characters in order to make us buy into the relationship and care about the people involved. Both actors give excellent performances and bring realism and excitement to these characters which makes the relationship feel very authentic, true to life, and eminently relatable. This authenticity helps to heighten the comedic awkward moments between the couple, and also increase the emotional force of the more poignant and tragic moments. The non-linear nature of the story helps to spread out the comedic and the dramatic scenes and stops the darker moments feeling all encompassing, while also highlighting some of the sadness by being able to immediately highlight the happier times.

While the play is a triumph of writing and performance, there are a couple of small moments where the spell is slightly broken. A brief lip-sync and dance sequence feels jarringly out of place, a stylistic shift that doesn’t quite align with the grounded realism of the rest of the show. Similarly, a late scene where one of the characters directly addresses the audience feels like a moment of unnecessary exposition. It’s a minor stumble, especially since the scene that immediately follows it provides all the necessary context without needing to spell it out.

These minor detours aside, Shotgunned is a hugely effective and affecting piece of theatre. It is a hugely effective show that is well-written, well-acted, and well worth your time.

Shotgunned is playing at Riverside Studios until 28th September. Tickets are available here.

IN CONVERSATION WITH:Anirban Dasgupta

Published on by Ke MengLeave a comment

We caught up with comedian Anirban ahead of his new show Cry Daddy at Soho Theatre, where stand-up collides with football, fatherhood, and the fun of letting the audience take control.

What made you decide to frame stand-up as a football match, complete with scores, yellow cards and half-time pep talks?

My first love is sports and I have always wanted to do a show which is a cross-section of stand up and sports. And i think I have finally cracked it. Comedy is obviously subjective, but what if it was objective like sports. What if there is a winner and a loser in the show. That formed the base of my initial shows, and then as the idea became clearer, newer sporting gags like yellow cards, half time pep talk, and shirt swaps with audience came into the picture. Now it feels like a full blown match where audience is invested in beating me, and I love it.

Cry Daddy draws on both your childhood dreams of sporting stardom and your daughter’s early years — how did those two stories collide into comedy?

Ever since I became a dad, it feels I am reliving my childhood with my daughter. So I decided to make the first half of the show about my childhood and the second half about my daughter’s. That makes it easier for me to know what material goes to which half. And the whole show is fun and games, just like your childhood.

London is famously football-mad — how do you expect Soho audiences will respond to this immersive, game-like format?

London is a true sporting institution, with history in every corner. Apart from football, there’s of course cricket, Wimbledon, it’s Olympic credentials. So i am extremely excited to bring the show to London. The city has a rich sporting culture and am sure the people will enjoy this unconventional match with the comedian.

Parenting runs throughout the show — what has fatherhood taught you about comedy, timing, or even failure?

Fatherhood has taught me that i am not in control. And that’s alright. And this in turn has trickled down to how I see stand up now. Earlier, I would be extremely irritated if a show derailed, or i got heckled. But in Cry Daddy, i am happy to give away that control to make the game with the audience more immersive and fun.

You’ve performed around the world, from Melbourne to Montréal — what feels unique about bringing new work back to Soho Theatre?

London is my favorite city, so firstly I am just excited to be here, and that too in the fall. And Soho Theatre feels like home now, and this show actually has its origins in my previous runs with Soho in London and Edinburgh. Ever since i made this show earlier this year, i have been waiting to come here and play at the Soho Theatre.

You’ve balanced stand-up, screenwriting, and global touring — how does Cry Daddy reflect where you are right now as both a comedian and a person?

I love both stand-up and screenwriting, and use them to escape from the other. Ha ha. But this year, i feel I have unlocked something new in both stand-up and screenwriting, so I am feeling quite good and looking forward to seeing what comes next.

For listing and info, visit https://sohotheatre.com/events/anirban-dasgupta-cry-daddy/

REVIEW: Momentum

Published on by annieyezhoua29f00172fLeave a comment

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Momentum brings forgotten gems to the stage with dazzling artistry

Reformed in 2023 under the Artistic Direction of Christopher Marney after a 30 year hiatus, the London City Ballet continues to wow its audience with a collection of rarely seen, international works. Mr Marney, acclaimed for reviving overlooked yet important repertoire, curated an evening featuring choreography by George Balanchine, Liam Scarlett, Florent Melac, and Alexei Ratmansky. The programme provided the company’s dancers with a platform to display both artistic subtlety and technical brilliance across both classical and contemporary works.

Momentum opened with Balanchine’s Haieff Divertimento, which was considered lost for decades until two members of the original cast set about reviving the ballet in 1981. The dancers shone most during their solos, with each dancer cleanly executing the petit allegro and pirouettes that the choreography demanded. Alejandro Virelles stood out for his combination of lightness and confidence, while Jimin Kim brought precision to every step. The duet with Sahel Flora Pascual and Virelles had a brightness that anchored the ballet, and the overall effect was clean and joyful. In future performances, it would be rewarding to see stronger cohesion in ensemble moments, with the dancers more finely attuned to one another and to the music.

Liam Scarlett’s Consolations and Liebestraum (2009) marked a complete tonal shift. Set to Liszt’s piano works, played live beautifully by Reina Okada, Alina Cojocaru and Joseph Taylor were breathtaking in the final pas de deux, while the entire cast, dressed in simple black, captured the ebb and flow of intimacy and fracture. Another highlight came in the pas de deux danced by Yuria Isaka and Arthur Wille, whose palpable chemistry was expressed through effortless partnering.

Florent Melac’s Soft Shore, a new commission set to Beethoven, flows on almost too neatly in mood, yet it has its own distinct qualities. Constance Devernay-Laurence and Jospeh Taylor gave the choreography weight and texture, while Alejandro Virelles and Arthur Wille brought contrast in their partnering work which moved the audience. The inclusion of a contemporary work showcased the company’s versatility, with the dancers excelling in this more modern setting.

What’s clear across the evening is the strength of London City Ballet’s ensemble as the company continues to establish its presence in London and globally as a touring company. Artistic Director Christopher Marnay has curated a programme that balances rediscovery and tribute of old and new choreography. Momentum reveals a company still young, yet already distinguished by thoughtful programming and superb dancing.

REVIEW: Brown girls do it too: Mama told me not to come

Published on by jaketurnerchanLeave a comment

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Poppy Jay and Rubina Pabani create a hilarious show with an ethos of honesty

Poppy Jay and Rubina Pabani’s Brown Girls do it too podcast has garnered many podcasting awards, including Podcast of the year 2020, accolades warranted by their frank and funny conversations around navigating sex and relationships. This year, the pair have brought the podcast to the stage, interweaving their conversational style with sketches illustrating and satirising their experiences. Their staged show Brown Girls do it too: Mama Told me not to Come, toured the country, including a run at the Edinburgh Fringe, resulting in a final four night run at the Soho Theatre’s new venue in Walthamstow.

With this show, they strike at a cultural tap, openly discussing the sexual experiences of South Asian women, navigating family, clashing cultures, and the hegemonies of white people and men. The show casts a net wider than the sole identities of the pair on stage and in the process they catch out a lot of societal hypocrisies and embarrassments. The result is a show that critically analyses a misogynistic and racist society, encouraging the audience to take a more active role in the discomfort of that. Even if the podcast format meant for some slightly lingering conversations, this put the audience at ease. As they often reminded us, the show’s ethos was one of honesty. With this tone, engaging in Poppy and Rubina’s riotous conversations around sex never felt like a challenge, but an invitation. 

It must be pointed out that neither of the pair have been trained at acting school. This was a surprise to me, revealed during a very invigorating Q&A with Meera Syal after their Thursday performance. Considering this, the pair showcase some fantastic acting chops, performing a wide variety of roles which make for a rich portrait of modern Britain. The inspiration from Goodness Gracious Me was noted, and it was nice to see the pair pay homage to the iconic sketch show. What Brown Girls do it too suggests is a real potential for the pair’s storytelling ability to translate excellently to something fictionalised, or something on screen. 

With the throughline story of the ‘coconut crisis hotline’, the exact intersection of living between cultures was dissected thoroughly. When impressions were done of various stereotypes of South Asian people, it felt uncomfortable. Sometimes this discomfort was good—in a skit involving the so-called ‘brown fever’ white guy, the pair ridiculed racial kinks in a way that was shocking and humorous. Occasionally the discomfort arose from another place—is the audience laughing with the pair about the senselessness of stereotypes, or are they recycling their laughs at said racial stereotypes? This isn’t exactly a critique, but rather a note of the delicate line performers from the global majority often find themselves toeing when performing to a majority white crowd.

That being said, it was heartening to see what a diverse crowd the show brought in. People engaged with the work differently, which alone makes the show worthwhile. But particularly, the pair unashamedly tackle the stigma head on—this is naturally going to cause some discomfort. With Jay and Pabani, you felt in safe hands. 

REVIEW: Spin Cycle

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Rating: 5 out of 5.

a seriously refreshing show on queer love, whirring memory and finding the truth in it all

Spin Cycle written by Zophia Zerphy and directed by Bethan Rose delightfully explores a queer relationship, complicated, loving and broken between two people who reconnect in a launderette. This absurdist piece of theatre profoundly found the in between, answering the unanswered questions between our two characters, Kitt and Noel.

The stage was neatly covered head to toe in white clean laundry and in the centre of the room, two washing machines. The stage was charmingly clean, sorted and welcoming, without feeling chaotic or overwhelming. 

As Kitt met Noel again, I instantly felt I was in. My eyes were glued to them both for the whole fifty-five minutes they performed on stage. 

I couldn’t help but feel like I was getting the full insight into their relationship, not only their past but their language towards each other helped me gain knowledge on what it was like when they first met. 

In fifty-five minutes, the performance managed to fit so much in, without it feeling overwhelming or dry. Bethan Rose, whose direction was clear, left room for the life to come through between these two distinct characters, finding moments of pause, tension, love and softness.

Both characters felt incredibly real, flawed and compassionate towards each other. Zerphy and Bell’s onstage connection was sensational. There were compelling reasons between both characters throughout the show, never leaning more towards one or the other. As I watched, Kitt struck me as the kind of person to say ‘Why?’ and Noel with a perfect response, ‘Why not?’. 

Zerphy’s writing is elegantly real, I felt myself valuing every single word, and with such little time, the time it took to get the washing done, I didn’t want to miss a thing. Zerphy’s performance was a standout, distinctively reflecting what she wrote now on stage. I was baffled and thoroughly impressed by the structure of the show, going from remembering to forgetting again, mixed with the complexity of these two strangers to lovers then back to strangers again. 

Noel, played by the charming Rhiannon Bell, managed to find a perfect balance between right and wrong, summoning a very sophisticated character whose loving presence turned sour after revealing their side of the story. A great sense of pity grew in the audience as Kitt and Noel bounced from reminiscing their lives together to configuring memories that they had lost, a truly sensitive moment for us in the audience. I thoroughly look forward to seeing where not only this show goes next, but where Zerphy and Bell go too as their talent shouldn’t be missed. 

As the show came to a close, and the washing machine beeped, all noise came to a halt, which I never even processed was happening until the end. It felt as if my memory had been wiped and recollected at the same time. A brilliant way to finish the performance. 

Spin Cycle, written by Zophia Zerphy and directed by Bethan Rose is a seriously refreshing show on queer love, whirring memory and finding the truth in it all, an absolute triumph to watch.

REVIEW:(God Save My) Northern Soul & Vermin

Published on by fbalchinLeave a comment

Rating: 5 out of 5.

“Two exceptionally well written plays explore polar opposite ends of the grief manifestation spectrum”

(God Save My) Northern Soul

If, like me, you’ve ever grown up in Wigan, or Lancashire or indeed just the nebulous “North”, this play is bound to resonate with you. Following nineteen year old Nicole (played by the show’s writer Natasha Cottriall), we go on a nostalgic and bittersweet journey of what it means to come of age in the midst of parental bereavement. Cottriall’s acting is superbly nuanced; her accent skills are uniquely suited to the softness of Nicole’s lilting accent, the harshness of her friend Sally’s, the stiffness of her grandmother’s, and the Mancunian twang of a man she meets at the club. It is an emotional tale threaded with the fabric of Northern Soul music- the mighty Wigan Casino soundtrack playing backdrop to Nicole’s musings on her suddenly deceased mother, whose assets she must now reckon with, all before really knowing what it means to be an adult. Topics of education, business, love, fashion, music and family are all gently explored with tender reminiscence and a jolt of reality. Humour is peppered throughout; for example Nicole jokes with a guy she meets at a club that she just bought her own grave that day, and if he plays his cards right he can have the second space. The absurd reality of dealing with bereavement and the paperwork and mundane necessities are seamlessly performed in this solo show. Clever lighting cues and physical body language changes are etched on the checkerboard flooring of Nicole’s flat. As a Northerner I absolutely loved it. It made me feel emotional and it felt genuine. This show is Jim Catrwright’s Road for the modern age: Cottriall’s personal experiences echo through her sublime writing and her characters are all portrayed as good eggs- I think I’d dance to Northern Soul with every one of them.  Make it full length next time, ah’reet?

Vermin

I could pinpoint the exact moment the audience realised this was not a comedy. As graphic as a Lars Von Trier script and as uncomfortably surreal as a Sarah Kane play. And you know what? It was brilliant. Good. Make us feel awkward, afraid, terrified- this is not a show for ambivalence. This production is told by South London couple Rachel and Billy (played expertly by Sally Paffett and Benny Ainsworth respectively). They spend the whole performance either in two simple chairs or breaking the fourth wall explaining their frankly tumultuous and increasingly desperate relationship history until the bloody climax. Vermin deals with child loss in a maniacal and feral way. Obsessive bickering and unhinged storytelling escalates as Rachel and Billy try to manage a defiant rat infestation in their flat. In my interpretation, the rats’ existence represents each person’s attempt to deal with their carnal grief. Billy’s bloodlust against innocent animals demonstrates his one way to take control whilst simultaneously giving in to impulsive desire. Rachel’s visual hallucinations of rats clinging to her like a baby on her breast is her inability to move on- she sees her baby’s face every where looking for her. This play is exquisite at exemplifying the theatre of the mind. There are no props or set, and so all the twisted descriptions of sickening violence and breathless rage plays out even worse in our minds than any production designer could come up with. Superbly thrilling and acted throughout. This play takes our sensibilities hostage and shreds them for the whole hour. Sensational.

REVIEW: Lorna Rose Treen-24 Hour Diner People

Published on by Ben BreenLeave a comment

Rating: 4 out of 5.

“Lorna Rose Treen dazzles in this exciting fever-dream”

Take your seat at The Bluetit Diner – “named after the time I slammed my breast in the fridge” – sit back, embrace the chaos and meet some of its regular patrons. A young girl is giddy at her first ever kiss, an inept private investigator wallows in nostalgia, and a truck driver has ridiculously long arms. In a rapid-fire mix of comedic styles, 24-Hour Diner People is an anarchic hour of joke-packed character comedy that’s an immense amount of fun.

Treen’s last show, Skin Pigeon, spearheaded the recent resurgence of sketch comedy in the UK. Its refreshing mix of unpredictable absurdism and genuine sense of fun won both critical plaudits – including Chortle’s Best Alternative Act 2024 – and multiple sell-out runs in Edinburgh and Soho. It’s a tough act to follow, but the same magic is undoubtedly captured in 24-Hour Diner People. If Skin Pigeon was her breakout show, then this is Treen strutting confidently around the stage showing just how brilliant she is.

It’s certainly an ambitious undertaking, with Treen zipping in and out of costume. At one point, she plays both halves of a robber holding up a waitress to steal the diner’s tip jar, with a partially inflated sex doll taking the place of whichever character Treen isn’t currently embodying. It’s very funny, and very silly, but underpinned by real intelligence. 24-Hour Diner People’s dense mix of puns, audience interaction, physical gurning and running gags combine into a show that feels unique to the room, leaving the audience grateful to have seen the chaos unfold. There are even satirical jabs thrown in for good measure, including a deliciously naughty zinger about the assassination of Charlie Kirk.

Whilst not every moment lands – there’s an overly long dance break to polite chuckles, the private investigator gets fewer laughs than most, and some transitions fall a little flat – the script is so joke-dense that you’re only ever a few moments from another genuine laugh. This is helped by an irresistible momentum: the diner is a coherent backdrop for a mesmerising array of characters, culminating in a satisfying costume-changing finale, tied together with an overarching narrative about a bad review from The Sun newspaper. Accused of killing comedy, Treen jokes she’s now written a “sort-of” play to kill theatre too.

Leaving the Soho Theatre after 24-Hour Diner People’s hour of anarchy, you’re left wondering what exactly you’ve just witnessed – in the best possible way. This is an off-the-wall, intelligently surreal car crash of a show, confirming Lorna Rose Treen as one of the most exciting character comics on the circuit.

Credit: Mark Senior

REVIEW: Seagull: True Story at Marylebone Theatre

Published on by Ke MengLeave a comment

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Wandering about between Moscow and New York

What is freedom? What does it mean in art and in life? How does it feel, how does it taste? Is it Nina’s dream of the stage? Is it Treplev’s restless breaking away from artistic convention? These questions haunted so many, including young Chekhov writing The Seagull.

More than a century later, Russian director Alexander Molochnikov revisits these questions with urgent immediacy in Seagull: True Story, co-created with writer Eli Rarey under the suffocating socio-political climate of Russia in 2022, when freedom, in both art and life, became piercingly visible.

Set in Moscow in early 2022, the play follows young director Kon (Daniel Boyd), whose dream of staging a radical Seagull is shattered by Putin’s “special military operation.” His openly speaks against the regime, leading him into exile in New York, leaving behind his mother Olga (Ingeborga Dapkunaite) and his dramaturg Anton (Elan Zafir) to clean up the mess. In the Big Apple, the capital of the capitalist, liberal empire, Kon meets Broadway producer Barry (Andrey Burkovskiy) and actor Nico (Stella Baker), with whom he seems to continue chasing his artistic dream.

To some extent, Seagull: True Story especially speaks to those who have embodied living experiences of double ideologies: growing up in a post-Soviet, socialist society but are greatly affected by (neo)liberalism in the 90s and early 2000s. For them, Russia and the US are not two extreme poles on the political spectrum, but strangely fused and reflective. One seems to respect art and artists only on the condition of their submission to the regime; the other is represented by a single $900 Broadway ticket and numerous anonymous off-off-off-off-off-off Broadway theatre makers. 

But how far are these two worlds, really? Or are they just two points of a horseshoe? Kon leaves for the US where he believes freedom lies, having no idea that two years later, it will once again welcome Donald Trump’s reincarnation. But is it just Trump? Maybe, he is just an amplifier of a system claiming to be the most ideal and free so long as you subject yourself to the power of money. What left for Kon, is the even more perplexing freedom. The freedom Kon craves so much eventually comes off like cold, hard leftover food, hardly enough to satisfy his artistic hunger. 

The metatheatrical layers unfold smoothly, energised by Burkovskiy as the MC and an ensemble of ten. The production feels like a whirlwind tour of the last decade of Western theatre with rich directorial approaches juxtaposing its absurdity and nostalgia at the same time: snowball fights with “Lenin” on Red Square, a Kit Kat Club–style disco dream with Putin (choreographed by Ohad Mazor), and a parody immersive theatre Three Little Pigs.  Underscored by Fedor Zhuravlev and Julian Starr’s sensational music and sound design, Nostalgia, irony, and absurdity collapse into one another.

The love story between Kon and Nico, however, feels too filmic and clichéd, unconvincing from my point of view. It is more a device to demonstrate Kon’s own sense of getting lost. The true emotional tie in this story, I reckon, lies in between Kon and Anton who is both his dramaturg and life mentor, where Kon’s conscience lies. The goldfish with a balloon – a gift from Anton – is what Kon can hold onto when he gets entirely lost in-between Russia and America, between these two values and two ways of lives. 

So when Anton dies, Kon is completely lost. American capitalist freedom promises everything if you sell yourself like a whore. Russian authoritarianism offers him what he wants because his mother is Olga, but at the same time, countless Antons are arrested, detained, or murdered. Just as Anton says, he can always meet more interesting people in the jail than in a cafe. At this point, Kon is both Nina and Treplev. The Seagull becomes a metatheatrical, new historical Chekov’s gun, eventually fires after more than a century. 

Kon doesn’t jump off the NYC subway platform, and this time, Nico isn’t there. Instead, he falls into the arms of Burkovskiy, dancing with him in a dreamlike paradise, indulging himself in any sort of (dis)illusion. It no longer matters who Burkovskiy is performing, the stage manager of Moscow Arts Theatre, the flamboyant Broadway Producer, or, the MC of this story. Kon is just so lost, in Russia, in America, in theatre and in art, down the intriguing yet treacherous road to freedom.