A “wildly inventive, darkly comic and politically charged remix” of Chekhov’s The Seagull is coming to Marylebone Theatre this September following its New York run at La Mama off-Broadway.
Seagull: True Story blends autobiographical drama, Chekhovian themes and biting satire in this work by creator and director Alexander Molochnikov, who left Russia in 2022 after speaking out against Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and cannot return home.
When Russia’s invasion of Ukraine casts a shadow of censorship over Kon’s free-spirited reimagining of Chekhov’s The Seagull, the production is stripped down to a state-approved shell of its former self. Desperate to save his vision and his livelihood, Kon flees to New York. Torn between his Russian roots and a confounding American paradise, he tries to redefine himself as an artist, only to discover that regaining true freedom takes more than just a few thousand miles…
Presented by MART and Wild Yak, the “bold and playful” theatrical experience blends song, multimedia, absurdist humour and layered meta theatre to explore the fragility of art, identity and freedom under authoritarian regimes.
Molochnikov also leads the cast in a “provocative and poignant” story of love, betrayal and the struggle to make meaningfulart in a world where the truth depends on who’s in charge.
Eli Rarey is the writer, with set design by Alexander Shishkin, costume design by Kristina Kharlashkina, lighting design by Brian H Scott and Sam Saliba, composer Fedor Zhuravlev, lyrics by Noize MC and choreography by Ohad Mazor.
Seagull: True Story plays at Marylebone Theatre from Friday, September 5 to Saturday, October 11, 2025. Tickets here.
Top image: Seagull A True Story, credit – Frederick Charles (image supplied)