Peak Performances and their Awkward Sexual Moments: The Seagull

The Seagull-October 2010-L. Howard Fox Theatre
Set in Russia, practically the biggest well written love triangle set on stage. I know I said that about Arcadia, but this one is ridiculous. There is absolutely no happy coupling whatsoever. The love is always one-sided and the characters always love somebody other than who they are with. No one is coupled with the person they love.

*Beware of Spoilers*

• Arkadina introduces Nina to Trigorin: Arkadina is an actress who is dating boy toy writer Boris Trigorin. She is an older woman but looks relatively young and attractive for her age. One of her greatest admirers is young Nina, the love interest of her playwright son Constantin. So like any woman in a relationship, Arkadina introduces younger-female-than-her Nina to her man Trigorin, who is closer in age to Nina than Arkadina. Why does she do that? It is almost as if she is asking for them to form a relationship. She saw how fond Nina was of Trigorin and how Trigorin looked back at Nina and gradually falls for her. This was extremely stupid on her part! Unless, was this some kind of set up? Judging by her facial expression, she seemed very satisfied with the introduction, like she knew what she was doing and that this was her intention. But, isn’t she with Trigorin? And isn’t Nina with her son? The move just doesn’t make any sense! What makes this even worse is that eventually Trigorin impregnates Nina but never leaves Arkadina, Arkadina never learning about the pregnancy or relationship between the two, even though she is the primary cause of it.

• Arkadina gives Trigorin head: I get it. Oral sex is a normal sexual act so it shouldn’t count as awkward. And it’s not like it was totally graphic so it wouldn’t be considered totally controversial either. This was awkward because it was mimed and in context she was showing desperation, doing this to convince him to travel back home with her. Now I know they wouldn’t show the actual act in all its glory onstage, but still. It was suggested and the way it was suggested was quite humorous. You had to figure out for yourself what exactly she was doing to him, his pants fully enclosed and her head nuzzling into his groin. Looking at it, you think to yourself, “Um, yeah, that’s probably what’s happening.” I think what made it awkward too was that it was unexpected.

• Masha and Medevenko (Actually it's Medvedenko. I noticed my error awhile back but never changed it. Correction has been made March 31, 2012 at around 12:12 AM): I love these two. Their dialogue opens up the play and throughout remains quite humorous to me. Masha is this depressed twenty-two-year-old girl who is in love with Constantin and constantly pursued by Medevenko, the town teacher, who is clearly treading where he shouldn’t and is trying too hard, though he never backs off. She eventually settles for Medevenko and considers him a good man but doesn’t like him in the least. She rejects his every advance and even rolls her eyes at him every chance she gets. Though this pairing may be unhappy, there is just something about the bitchiness of Masha and the composure of Medevenko that just makes them so comical. Even though their relationship is rocky, it’s not that serious.

Next in the series: SWEENEY TODD!!! :D

Check out the previous post of this series: Side Show