A TV-star-studded guest production at the Odyssey Theater does a mostly terrific job of reminding audiences that Anton Chekhov’s The Seagull is, as its author steadfastly maintained, a comedy, but falls short of that goal in the play’s downer of a final act.

An incandescent Sasha Alexander (Iles for all seven seasons of TV’s Rizzoli and Iles among multiple TV leads) is glamorous Russian stage star Arkadina, who has arrived for a Chekhovian “weekend in the country” with her lover, the equally renowned writer Boris Trigorin (James Tupper, with his own TV/movie credits galore), much to the consternation of her aspiring playwright son Konstantin (handsome newcomer Parker Sack), a weekend during which romantic triangles will abound and at least one character—not to mention the titular seagull—will end up meeting their maker.

Director Bruce Katzman signals from the get-go that it’s entirely permitted, and indeed expected, for Odyssey Theatre audiences to laugh at what fools these Russian mortals be in an opening scene that’s so sparklingly played by Brianna Bryan as Masha (clad entirely in black as befits someone “in mourning for my life”) and Matthew Hartley as schoolteacher Medvedenko (hopelessly devoted to Masha, who’s just as impossibly in love with Konstantin), that this Seagull pretty much had me from prevet. (That’s “hello” in Russian.)

And if these two foolish mortals’ initial exchange already proves a laugh-getter, just wait until would-be actress Nina (Cece Kelly) takes center stage to perform Konstantin’s hilariously pretentious solo show much to the amused confusion of assembled guests Arkadina, Trigorin, Arkadina’s elder brother Sorin (Joe Hulser), estate manager Shamrayev (Carlos Carrasco) and his wife Polina (Carolyn Crotty), and local physician Dr. Dorn (Will Dixon), all of whose scarcely stifled laughter (not the kind a “serious” playwright wants to hear) send Konstantin off in a huff and leave Nina wondering if she’s got what it takes to become a great actress like her idol Arkadina.

Thus begins The Seagull’s romantic roundelay as Masha pines over Konstantin who’s desperately in love with Nina who would like nothing more than to lose her virginity to Trigorin who’d like nothing better than to take it from her, not to mention Polina doing some canoodling of her own with Dr. Dorn right under hubby Shamrayev’s nose.

Meanwhile, Konstantin gets it in his head that shooting a seagull and gifting its feathered corpse to Nina will somehow prove how much he loves her, a clear warning that all is not right in the young man’s head (as if his disastrous attempt at play writing wasn’t already enough).

Director Katzman and cast keep things moving along quite swiftly and swimmingly throughout much of the show as Alexander (a divalicious stunner) and Tupper (suave and seductive as all get-out) prove themselves as fabulous on stage as they are on screen.

Dixon’s nattily attired Dr. Dorn is a particular standout and Kelly is so luminous as Nina in her early scenes that I can’t help wishing director Katzman and she had found ways to remind us of that quality in a final scene played in so unremittingly downbeat a manner that I found much of my initial infatuation with the production dimming by play’s end.

Scenic designer Carlo Maghirang’s gorgeously floral set has been beautifully lit by W. Alejandro Melendez, while Claire Marie Nemanich’s sound design not only features mood-enhancing underscoring but has featured players Lukas Jann (Yakov) and Hannah May Howard (Maid) providing some delicious Foley effects to back up Konstantin’s unfortunate attempt at playwriting.

 Last but not least, costume designer Eva Zapata eschews period finery to keep things refreshingly modern throughout, with special snaps to Arkadina’s sophisticated looks, and Dana Schwartz provides plenty of appropriate props (including the aforementioned seagull) along the way.

Sophia Dawson, PJ King, Merrick McCartha, Sigute Miller, and Monty Renfrow are understudies.

The Seagull is produced by Katzman, Tupper, and Crotty. Nicole O’Hara is production manager. Roella Dellosa is stage manager. Susan Gordon is publicist.

Talky Chekhov may be* , and every major event may indeed take place offstage or between acts, but he’s equally adept at mining laughs from his flawed but entirely human characters when directed and performed comme il faut.

The production now visiting the Odyssey does so much right throughout so much of its two-hours-plus-intermission running time, I can’t help wishing its director and cast had found a way to avoid an end-of-play letdown that may be scripted, but maybe doesn’t have to be quite this much of a downer.

*Translated here I believe by an uncredited Ann Dunnigan

Odyssey Theatre, 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd. Los Angeles. Through February 9. Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 8:00. Sundays at 2:00.
www.odysseytheatre.com

–Steven Stanley
January 18, 2025
Photos: Miguel Perez

Tags: Anton Chekhov, Los Angeles Theater Review, Odyssey Theatre