Butusov's version - The Seagull - on stage in Beijing: Rereading Chekhov using music, body and repeated performances

  “I want to have a quarrel with Chekhov through 《 the seagull.”Butusov said this when talking about rehearsals.The object of his argument is people's outdated understanding of Chekhov.

Recently, the Russian State Sartykon Theater brought this version of the work to the Beijing People's Art International Drama Invitational Exhibition.More than a hundred years ago, Seagull failed when it was first performed.There are a lot of unspoken thoughts and implicit meanings between the characters in the text, leaving problems for understanding and rehearsal: How do today's audiences enter the lives of these people and how do they understand their struggles?The Satyrikon Theater brings this issue into the performance, trying to make the audience directly feel the emotions of the characters.

The Russian manor in the original work contains silence in the twilight and unspeakable desires.This rehearsal reworked the shell of the story, transforming the characters' inner confusion and resistance to fate into actions and scenes with a sense of absurdity.Ecstasy, despair, and unwillingness are pushed to the stage, and the forbearance and melancholy that are common in traditional performances give way to more intense physical expressions.Artistic ideals, love and real life are pulling at each other in these characters.Some people desperately want to get rid of mediocrity, but in the end they end up living a life they once despised; some people embrace the enthusiasm of literary youth, but have to face the disillusionment of their illusions.The performance spreads out this gap, allowing ideal fanaticism and daily awkwardness to coexist.

The same set of character relationships will be performed over and over again by different actors.This kind of repetition changes the mood and appearance with the performance, releasing the unspoken possibilities in the character's heart.

The continuous flow of music, combined with the restless body expressions, turns the suppressed emotions into a stage scene that can be directly felt, and also changes the same scene every time it is reenacted.The three performance stills are provided by the performers.