Boston Court Performing Arts Center-Mainstage (Pasadena, CA)
Set in 1959 Greenwich Village and Hollywood, this drama chronicles the hidden and not-so-hidden desires of a family of troubled dreamers yearning for love and immortality. Gulls revamps Chekhov's The Seagull into a heavy-hitting, culturally relevant piece of art. Expect plot twists, beatniks, and fading Hollywood glamour, all accompanied by the musical stylings of a live five-piece jazz ensemble.
Event summary prepared by the Goldstar Editorial Team.
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The last event was Saturday August 16, 2008 / 8:00pm. (view all dates)
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What worked: The performances were amazing. Each actor was completely committed to their roles, even when it seemed the script did not clarify their character's journey or motivations.
What didn't work: The book! The book didn't seem to follow the rules of basic script writing. It was difficult for the audience to follow, even if you're familiar with Chekov. For some reason, every character was given a ballad-heavy solo climax scene. (RE: Act II, 90 minutes) The moments were beautiful for each one, but by the 5th climactic scene, it was confusing, exhausting and the audience kept thinking it was the denoument four times.
Time! The show ran about 3 hours on preview night. I'm sure it will become tighter as the show begins their run. I'm all for a good "Kentucky Cycle" or "Nicholas Nickelby", but the show should never FEEL like it's running long!
Artistic Liberties with the Script: The characters names are changed altogether and then slightly for some. As I am unfamiliar with the audience base of the Boston Court, I'm not sure if the average 25 - 35 year old would understand most of the 1959 - 1969 references. However, an older audience who experienced McCarthy, who understands the historical importance may find it more intriguing.
The music: The music was intricate and involved. Kudos to the conductor and musicians! The actors carried off incredibly difficult music. Modern jazz was the theme of the music - infusing Coltrane, Gillespie, Mingus. However, some of the tempos dragged a bit and some of it didn't aid the progression of the plot.
Overall, the production values, the performances are wonderful. Cut some time, tighten up the script, create ONE ending... it could be amazing.
The acting and singing was quite fine. The musical itself was a bit of a mixed bag--at times a bit saccharine, at times, absolutely philosophically inspiring, at times clearly jazz, at times soupy. Hard to pin it down, but overall, a worthwhile evening, to be sure!
The casting is superb. The singing voices are top quality. The story line is interesting but I did not like the endiing. The play is too long. The theatre is very nice and for the price, it's worth every penny.
This performance was great overall, particularly the vocal performances of the actors. The feelings & intentions of each of the actors were exhibited with passion & were quite believable. The entire production was a little too long, however. A friend who saw this production with me commented that the storyline would have been better had more emphasis on the sensual aspects of the storyline been included. We also enjoyed the theater space including the quality of the audio & lighting systems & the very comfortable seating.
Excellent production, casting, writing and directing. Lovely theatre. Recommend it highly.
This is an amazing show!! One of the best shows I've seen in LA and has Broadway written all over it!
The characters were compelling, the music was interesting, and the acting was mostly excellent. However, it was pretty dark, and the end was a bit out of keeping with the general thrust of the play. I did really like it though. Definitely worth seeing.
Boston Court Performing Art Center is an intimate,state-of-the-art performing arts complex with a 99-seat theatre (Mainstage) and 60-seat performance space (Marjorie Branson Performance Space) . This unique center empowers artists to create and nurture new and classical works for the entertainment and education of the community.
Longing and love triangles transcend time and place in The Theatre @ Boston Court’s world premiere musical Gulls.
It’s 1959 in Greenwich Village and Hollywood, and a family of troubled dreamers yearns for love, immortality and survival. Glamorous Broadway star Irenie, her novelist/screenwriter lover Gore, her Beat poet son Conrad, and Nina, the lovely young African American everyone loves, engage in an epic struggle for passion and connection in this haunting new musical, rich with Chekhovian longing.
Book and lyrics by Nick Salamone
Music by Maury McIntyre
Directed by Jessica Kubzansky
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