Parker Posey, Hari Nef, and a Chekhov reboot for modern times

The Rundown

Oh, the drama! For more than a century, theater makers have gravitated toward the work of Russian dramatist Anton Chekhov, who knew how to throw shade long before RuPaul opened the library. His major plays, rich with subtext and social commentary, continue to attract a new generation of playwrights and adaptors eager to put their new stamp on family dysfunction.

Enter Thomas Bradshaw, who has air-lifted The Seagull out of the 19^th-century Russian countryside to the modern enclave of Woodstock, New York. The New Group’s Off-Broadway production, directed by Scott Elliott, features Parker Posey (Best in Show, Waiting for Guffman), Hari Nef (And Just Like That, Transparent), and a cast of some of New York City’s best character actors for a sharp-tongued takedown of the bourgeoisie and racial inequity.

No Tea, No Shade

Self-absorbed actress Irene (Posey) and her longtime gay bestie Samuel (David Cale) co-own a summer house upstate, where Irene’s son, Kevin (Nat Wolff), mounts a production of his new solo show starring muse Nina (Alyse Shannon). Unfortunately, her husband William’s (Ato Essandoh) wandering eyes settle on the young actress — one of several romantically and sexually charged relationships on the grounds.

Rich neighbors Darren (Daniel Oreskes) and Pauline (Amy Stiller) hover about, along with their listless, Crocs-wearing daughter Sasha (Nef), dressed in black, who deflects (until she doesn’t) the romantic advances of Mark (Patrick Foley, Circle Jerk), a teacher well-aware of his economically disadvantaged status.

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A weathered floor-to-ceiling red curtain provides the backdrop for scenic designer Derek McLane’s minimalist design and Qween Jean’s deliciously brand-specific costumes (don’t think we didn’t catch those Prada-Adidas collab sneakers). Such details amplify Bradshaw’s exploration of the artistic temperament — what and who our culture values and why.

“Suppose we had the power to change the rules of our society. What would happen if we could free ourselves from our constraints?” Nina asks while performing Kevin’s play. But creature comforts can be a tempting gatekeeper, and each of the house’s inhabitants struggles to dismantle their given trajectories.

Bradshaw brings racial inequities into the conversation, but the subject of mental health, which escalates into increasingly erratic behavior and subsequent gun violence, feels like a missed opportunity to contemporize Chekhov’s work further.

Let’s Have a Moment

Posey is deliciously self-absorbed as a mid-career actress struggling to remain relevant in an industry that rarely values mature women. Theatergoers will appreciate the updated references to her career-defining moments, such as her appearance opposite Janet McTeer in an all-female True West. But her histrionics give way to thoughtful observations on craft, telling Nina, “there’s a difference between ‘edgy’ work and work that alienates the audience. I’ve been walking on the edge my whole career, but I never, EVER alienate my audience.”

Irene and Kevin’s relationship tips toward Oedipal. Though lacking in traditionally perceived maternal instincts, her love and obsession for the arts connect them in a way that runs deeper than bloodlines.

“We’re artists. We’re vulnerable. We have to be. We have to be able to feel extra hard so people can feel through us,” Irene says to her son. “That’s why we were put on this earth. So we must protect ourselves. Sometimes from the ambitions of our friends and lovers. Don’t ever forget that.”

The Last Word

“They’re iconic in who they are and what they bring to their work,” director Scott Elliott told the New York Times of Nef and Posey. “They’re able to bring themselves to the parts so there’s very little separation between the actor and the role. Their humanity peeks through.”

Despite their anchoring performances, The Seagull/Woodstock, NY doesn’t always soar but instead hovers at a pace that occasionally needs propulsion.

“Is there anything new anymore? Are there any new stories? New forms? Or is everything just a new spin on something old? A reinvention of the comfortable and familiar?” Kevin asks, then turns to the audience: “… When an artist creates something he’s fully satisfied with, a work without compromise, a work he finds to be beautiful, then the world will see the beauty in it too.”  

Audiences may or may not discover such beauty in The Seagull/Woodstock, NY, but its creation and the humanity revealed in our everyday lives continues Chekhov’s legacy and relevancy.

The Seagull/Woodstock, NY plays Off-Broadway through April 9, 2023.

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